Wherever You Are
by Tigereye77
Summary: Aaron Hotchner vowed he would find the woman he loved, wherever she was, but time was against him. Birthday fic for my fellow Tiger, Tigerlily!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: My fellow Tiger, Tigerlily, requested a "stranded HotLy" story for her birthday. This is a bit of a twist on that and it's a multiple part one that should be finished no later by next weekend. I'm hoping over the next few days as it's only about a 2-3 part one. Maybe four parts, though that last one would be smutty. Haven't decided on that one yet. I hope dear Tigerlily enjoys it. Yes, it's got angst, but you request things from the Angst Pimp, expect that to be in the story. But I hope you also think it's romantic. Some wee spoilers for Season 7 finale.**

**Happy Birthday, my fellow smutty Tiger!**

* * *

Sweat beaded across his forehead and his shirt stuck uncomfortably to his body, but Aaron Hotchner didn't notice. Nor did he pay any attention to the relentless sun beating down on him as the temperature on the desert floor soared to 112 degrees. Search and rescue personnel, law enforcement officers and his own team surrounded him, talking at once and simply creating a cacophony of noise that he simply ignored, like he did the helicopters that buzzed above them, receiving orders on where they were to search from the coordinator located at the heart of all this activity and barking orders into a radio.

He stood alone and that was how he wanted it. He could not be near anyone now, especially his own team. If they got too close, if they examined his face that currently were hidden behind his sunglasses, they would see how close to the edge he was, how he was about to scream and bellow for them all to do something and stop wasting time and find _**her**_!

Emily was missing.

His heart had lurched when they realized that the unsub they were seeking was actually the local police officer Emily had been paired off with and who was currently driving with her to interview a witness. Or so they thought. They listened on their end as Hotch called her and told her what they learned. He had ordered her to get to a public place as soon as possible and not tip her hand, but something had happened and they heard Emily emit a grunt and sounds of a struggle in the car. As Hotch cried out her name frantically, they heard a squeal of brakes and the unmistakable sound of a car crashing.

The GPS in the car was disabled, but they thought they had an approximate idea of where Emily was given the route most likely taken and how long they had been on the road. But the desert was a big place and it had been three hours since they last spoke to her. During that time, it had taken all of Hotch's efforts to not demand the local search and rescue team work faster, harder. They need to find Emily. Even if she wasn't injured in the crash, they still didn't know if she was in jeopardy from the unsub. He wanted to take over, take charge and _do_ something, but he and his team were useless here. They didn't know the terrain. They weren't trained in search and rescue. They could help, but this was where they had to depend on someone else, trust someone else to save Emily.

That didn't sit well with Hotch. He wanted to tear his hair out from the wait, but it took time to assemble the rescue personnel and get them out this remote location, and they were not even sure if they were searching in the right area. Hotch had his doubts they were looking in the right place. They were only guessing Emily and the suspect had taken this route. It was the most likely if they _were_ going to interview the witness. But what if the unsub had focused in on Emily to be his next victim? She fit his victim profile. What if they were wasting time now, futilely looking for her in the wrong spot? They couldn't afford to waste time.

This was Emily who was missing. _**His**_Emily.

Oh, she wasn't actually his. Or at least she didn't know he regarded her as his. Ever since JJ's wedding, when he held her in his arms as they danced, he knew then that it was her. It had always been Emily, only he didn't realize it until that night. But it all it took was holding her once in his arms and it was as if a fog had lifted and he could clearly see what he wanted in his future, _who_ he wanted. It was simply Emily Prentiss.

The next day she told him she was resigning from the Bureau and he felt equal parts elation and sadness. With Emily no longer his subordinate, he was free of the Agency's policies on intimate relationships. He had sadly accepted her resignation, effective in three weeks. There was some trepidation when he heard that Clyde Easter had offered her an Interpol assignment, but was relieved when she made it clear she was not certain if she wanted to go back there. He could change her mind. He could give her a reason for staying. It was all Hotch could do to not sweep her up in his arms then and there, to declare himself to her. But he was going to do this right. Pursue her, woo her in a manner she deserved. To show her that she was and would always be the queen of his heart.

He broke up with Beth that evening. It was easier than he had anticipated as the curator had suspected something had happened at the wedding for she had been watching Hotch dance with Emily. She had seen the expression on his face as he held the other woman close. And after that, each time he danced with her, he was distant physically and emotionally. Beth had been gracious, though hurt and that was one thing Hotch regretted, but their relationship was new and neither had put too much into it at that point. That hadn't even slept with each other. He knew she would get over him soon.

Then this case had come up. A serial killer in Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas, was killing women in their thirties and forties and the BAU had been called in to help. It was to be Emily's last case with them but no one had foreseen something like this happening.

The Captain Landes, in charge of search and rescue, was barking orders, sending off groups to specified regions. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is one of ours we're looking for. We do not know what condition she may be in and she is with a dangerous suspect. He may be holding her captive. Our first priority is finding Agent Prentiss and bringing her home."

_Bringing her home_. That's all he had in mind when he had Emily shipped off to Paris to protect her from Doyle, but he couldn't protect her from the psychological toll it had taken on her and then thrusting her into a situation where she would alone to deal with the aftermath. Hotch wondered if he had done her as much harm as good. He had likely saved her life, but he had also deprived her of the help and lifeline she desperately needed to save sane and whole.

He chastised himself, bitterly. It seemed like he was constantly failing her.

But he couldn't fail her now. He will not fail her.

The rest of his team were split into separate search groups. The Captain looked at Hotch who shook his head. This caused the Search and Rescue officer to raise his eyebrow, but he said nothing. Hotch spun around and moved off towards the shade of the tent they had set up as a command center, ignoring the surprised and curious eyes of his own team and the other officers.

"Aaron?" Rossi suddenly appeared by his side. "Aren't you going to help look for Emily?"

Hotch slowly shook his head. "This is wrong, Dave. She shouldn't be out there."

"I know. But we'll find her," the older man assured him in a soft voice. The last time he had seen Hotch this uncertain and confused was at the explosion in the bank when they didn't know if Emily and Will were still alive.

"But this is wrong," Hotch repeated, frowning. He wasn't talking about the situation now. Something was nagging at his brain. Some detail. He just knew they were looking in the wrong spot.

"_Prentiss."_

"_It's Hotch. Don't react, just listen. Detective Booker is our unsub. I need you to not tip your hand and get to some place public right away. We're on our way now."_

"_I never had that file. You're looking in the wrong place, Hotch. Maybe Reid has seen it? I know he's not the obvious choice to have it, but he does tend to hide things away and forget he has them."_

"_Prentiss?" _

That was when they heard the grunt and sounds of a struggle before the crash and the line going dead.

Hotch's head snapped out and he turned to Dave. "We're looking in the wrong area," he said in a firm voice.

"How can you be sure?"

"What Prentiss said earlier. 'You're looking in the wrong place, Hotch.' Booker must have been taking her to a different spot. Emily isn't familiar with the area, the roads, but she knows enough to maybe question a route he was taking. We're looking here because it would be the road he would take to interview Dr. Fairgate, but if he was going somewhere else…"

"Then there's no telling where they are now," Rossi finished as they gazed out into the large, desolate expanse of the desert.

Emily struggled to consciousness, her head and body protesting all her attempts because waking up meant feeling the pain radiating throughout her body. But she forced herself to continue. Her last act was to open her eyes. She blinked, trying to focus and realized she was staring into the shattered windshield of the sedan.

She groaned and tried to take an inventory of her body. Nothing felt broken but everything did hurt. She hit her seat belt release button and let out a sigh of relief when the strap silently slid off of her. It was then that she remembered why she was in this situation and she glanced quickly over to her left. Booker's head was pressed up against the window of the driver's side door. He was unconscious or dead.

Hesitantly, Emily reached out to feel for his pulse. Just as her fingers were about to press against Booker's neck, his hand suddenly grabbed her outstretched wrist. She couldn't stop the gasp that came out and he turned to look at her, his face bloodied from multiple cuts to his face.

"Don't touch me, bitch!" he snarled out as his other hand fumbled for his gun.

Frantically, Emily tried to pull her hand free even as she went for her own gun. Her fingers touched her empty holster and Booker wasn't letting her go, no matter how hard she pulled. She could see him, starting to pull his gun out. She also saw a wet stain in his side and knew he was injured there. In desperation, she balled her free hand into a fist and punched Booker straight in his wound.

The killer cried out in pain and released Emily's wrist. She fumbled for her door handle and yanked hard on it, falling out of the car as she tumbled backwards in an attempt to get away from the man screaming in agony and anger.

Emily's body screamed in pain as she hit the ground hard and scrambled to her feet. At a low crouch she tried to hurry away, stumbling and scrabbling. She heard a crack of gunfire as Booker fired through the windshield at her. The dirt next to her foot exploded as the bullet just missed her.

Her one thought was to get away from Booker as quickly as possible. She didn't know where she was going, but she just needed to get away from this man. So she ran, far into the desert.

* * *

**A/N 2: For those who may not have made the connection, I owe a nod of thanks to CSI for a part of this idea which was based on the episode where the Miniature Killer traps Sara Sidle in the desert.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Maybe Reid has seen it?_

Hotch stared at the map of the area. Reid, why would Emily mention Reid? She wouldn't have just randomly dropped the other man's name unless there was a good reason for it. He thought back to what they had discussed on the case. Reid of course had worked on a geographic profile, but never completed the work before they uncovered information that led them in a definite direction. The dump and snatch sites for the victims had been too scattered and widespread to see any pattern at first, at least none discernible to an ordinary human being.

Spencer Reid was far from ordinary. He had only done some work on his geographic profile before other clues had led them in a more fruitful direction, but even then he had some preliminary results that he shared with the rest of the team.

"_It appears that the dump sites and the abduction sites are random, but it might not be as random as we think. There's this one area where there has only been one body found, Beatrice Wilcox. She was the fifth victim. She was also taken from this area as well and her body was discovered soon after she was taken, approximately 48 hours later. The killer has been keeping the victims for a week. So why the short time holding time? Did something happened that forced him to speed up his timetable? Or did he realize he wasn't as random as he thought and he used Wilcox as a cover to show he's hit all parts of town."_

Hotch looked at the area Reid had indicated and noticed the main road going through it also went out into the desert; in the opposite direction of where they were looking.

"Here," he murmured to himself. "This is the road they were on."

* * *

She had been running and stumbling for almost a half hour before she realized she was not being followed nor was there any more shooting. Booker had managed to extricate himself from the car and came after her for the first fifteen minutes she was running. Emily had dodged bullets and tried to keep on her feet. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her going, but as soon as she realized he was no longer following her, her body started to give out.

Exhaustion, pain and dehydration were beginning to overwhelm her. Emily moved over by the shadow of some rocks and leaned against them. Black spots started to dance before her eyes and she sank down to the ground and dropped her head between her knees.

She wasn't badly injured in the car accident. There were several deep bruises, to her chest and ribs where the seatbelt had kept her from flying out the windshield, but there weren't internal injuries or broken bones.

A bit steadier, she looked up at the sky, trying to get her bearings. Her fight or flight instinct had kicked in and she just ran, not realizing what direction she was going in or what she was doing. Now she was lost. If she headed back the direction she came from, her footprints were very clear in the sand, she ran the risk of running right into Booker. She had no weapon and she wasn't sure she'd be able to take him hand-to-hand. And if she could see her own tracks, so could Booker. He might not be right behind her, but he could still be tracking her.

Hotch and the others knew she was in trouble, but would they know where to look? She had been suspicious that Booker wasn't taking the right road to Dr. Fairgate's, but he had assured her that this was a faster way to get there. She wasn't familiar with the area and they didn't have the GPS on. Emily had no reason to suspect Booker until Hotch called her with the news that he was their unsub.

Even if they figured out the road she was on, she had run away from the site of the accident. The only thing to do was to make her way back to the road and hope she didn't run into Booker. That was her best chance. If she cut at an angle, it should put some distance between herself and Booker, and she would hopefully reach the road. If she didn't, she would find herself deeper in the desert. But if she waited here, Booker could find her and maybe no one else. If she could make it to the road, even if her team wasn't looking for her here, it was her best chance of rescue. What choice did she have?

Wearily, Emily pushed herself away from the rocks and started to walk, hoping she was going in the right direction.

* * *

Captain Landes stared at Hotch in disbelief as the BAU leader explained his theory and his request.

"With all due respect, Agent Hotchner," Landes began, "But I've been doing this for 20 years. I know how to run a search and rescue in the desert."

"I'm not saying you don't, Captain, but I do believe you are looking in the wrong place." Hotch grew more anxious as he could tell the man was not going to respond to his request. "I know Agent Prentiss was trying to tell us they didn't take this road. She isn't familiar with this area, but she knows enough that her suspicions would be raised."

"You're basing it on some cryptic conversation. You can't know that's what she meant," Landes protested.

"Yes I can," Hotch replied in a firm, quiet tone. "Because I know Emily Prentiss." He gazed steadily at the older man. "Please, Captain Landes, all I'm asking is that you allow me to take a helicopter to check out the area."

Landes glared at Hotch, but the FBI man didn't waver in his gaze or conviction. Everything that he knew, all his experience told Landes that they needed to stick to the search grid he had mapped out. But he knew there was one wild card and that was the people involved. He didn't know Agent Prentiss, but this man did and Hotchner was convinced his agent was trying to tell him something, tell him that they were in a particular area.

Allowing Hotchner to requisition one helicopter could mean the difference between life and death for Prentiss. They didn't know what condition she was in and the longer she was out in the desert, the more her chances of survival dwindled.

Landes looked at Hotch again and still the FBI agent gazed unblinkingly back at him. Hotchner was truly convinced that Prentiss was telling him she was on a different road. Okay, maybe he was right on that, but to pick this specific road based a geographical profile the skinny agent was putting together? That was a lot of conjecture without a lot of evidence to back it up.

_Because I know Emily Prentiss_.

Aww, what the Hell? Let it be on Hotchner's head if it turned into a bust. He'll just have to make sure the other two choppers he had on this search also covered the third one's area.

"Fine!" Landes barked out. He radioed for one of the helicopters to come back to the command site. "I'm giving you until nightfall," he snapped at Hotch.

Hotch sighed in relief. "Thank you. If I don't find any evidence of them taking that road, we'll do this your way."

Landes grunted. "The copter will be here in about 20 minutes. Get your gear together."

"I'm going with him." Rossi had been silent until then but he wasn't about to let Hotch go out there alone. He too had his doubts that Aaron was right about Emily's location, but he could see his old friend was completely convinced this was the correct way to go. There was a desperation, an intensity around Hotch that Rossi had never seen before. He knew they were all reeling from Emily being in danger and missing. It was all too familiar and the last time something like this had happened, many of them had believed she died. Hotch knew differently, but now, he didn't have the knowledge that she was okay to comfort him. If Hotch was wrong, Rossi felt he needed to be there for his friend to pick up any potential pieces.

Hotch nodded absently at Rossi as he anxiously paced while waiting for the helicopter. He knew the consequences of being wrong. He was taking a valuable resource away from the search area. If Emily was here and not where he was guessing, and it was just a guess, then he could very well be condemning her to death.

She may already be dead.

Hotch shook his head furiously. _No!_ He refused to believe that. Emily was not dead , nor was she going to die. He would find her, and save her, and make sure no harm ever came to her again.

"Wherever you are, Emily, I will find you!" he vowed quietly.

* * *

Emily moved unsteadily on her feet. She didn't think she had any serious injuries, but she was in a fair amount of pain and she kept stumbling over the smallest dips and divots on the uneven desert ground. It took all of her concentration to focus on putting one foot in front of the other and she wasn't even sure if she was going in the right direction.

She just hoped the others understood what she was trying to tell them on that phone call. They had no reason to suspect Booker so when she had questioned the road he was taking and he explained it was a short cut to Dr. Fairgate's office, Emily had accepted the explanation. But when Hotch called and told him the police detective was actually the unsub they were seeking, she knew they were going the wrong way. Her mind had flashed to the map Reid had been using for his geographic profile. In desperation, she had concocted that message about Reid and some file, praying someone there would understand her.

If anyone would, it would be Hotch. The man had a steel trap mind and he remembered everything said. Everything. Sometimes she thought he could rival Reid's eidetic memory. She knew Reid didn't remember everything he heard, but Hotch typically did. Emily was banking on that now.

"Don't fail me, Hotch," she whispered to herself.

Emily knew that the word "fail" was one of the most despised words in the BAU team leader's vocabulary, but even Hotch was human. What if he didn't look further into her message other than her acknowledgement of the information he had relayed to her? Doubt began to assail Emily and losing her concentration, she stumbled, almost falling to her knees.

She caught her balance in time and shook herself, squaring her shoulders. Wearily, she leaned against a large boulder, its shadow offering her relief from the relentless sun. She couldn't think that way; she had to believe that Hotch and the others would find her soon. She just needed to stay alive. Just put one foot in front of the other and avoid Booker, if he was still alive.

"Just stay alive. Just stay alive," she chanted to herself as she tried to catch her breath and stop the black spots dancing in front of her eyes.

"That's going to be a little hard to do."

Emily's head snapped up when she heard the cold voice. Booker stood there, just ten feet away, his gun pointed directly at her.

"You've been nothing but trouble since you first walked into my town." Emily could see Booker was also unsteady on his feet. His side of the car had taken the brunt of the crash and he was in far worse shape than Emily was. But he was also angry and psychotic and that was what was driving him now. Plus he had a gun pointed at her. This was not good.

"I'm going to enjoy doing this," Booker snarled as he pulled the trigger.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: First I need to apologize to Tigerlily because this is taking way longer for me to finish and it's becoming way longer than I had anticipated. It looks like it's more of a five parter. We shall have to see. I hope you enjoy. **

* * *

The distinctive click of an empty gun pierced through the still desert air and told both Emily and Booker this wasn't over yet. The injuries sustained in the car crash and dehydration slowed down the man's thought processes and reflexes or Emily would have never made it from the distance she was currently at.

With a loud yell, she ran a few steps and then launched herself at Booker. Without the gun, they were more evenly matched. She had less serious injuries but she had always been a little more sensitive than most to dehydration. She probably would never out run him and she had absolutely no idea if he had an extra clip on him. The only course was to fight it out now and incapacitate or kill him.

In retrospect, it would probably be one of the lamest fights ever recorded. Emily's launch caught Booker off guard. His response time was already slowed so he merely stood there, gaping, when she crashed hard into him. He tumbled backwards and the back of his head connected with a sharp edge of a rock, splitting open his skull. He died instantly.

Emily tumbled off to the side and scrambled to her feet, assuming some weak version of a defensive stance. When Booker simply laid there, she blinked once, twice and then cautiously made her way over to his body. Hesitantly, she remembered what happened after the car crash when she tried to check for a pulse, Emily nudged him with her foot, but he did not move. Still moving cautiously, in case it was a trick, she knelt down and felt for a pulse. There was none. That was when she saw the blood oozing from behind his head. His blank eyes stared sightlessly up into the bright blue sky.

She sat down abruptly, suddenly drained of all energy. Emily felt no remorse for what had happened. Maybe she would later, but right now, she did what had to be done. Besides, she saw what he had done to his victims and knew what he had in store for her if they hadn't figured out he was the unsub. Add to that that he tried to kill her several times today, well, Prentiss wasn't weeping for the man even if she did have sufficient moisture left in her body to do so.

She knew she couldn't stay sitting here by the body, so she slowly and painfully got to her feet. Since she no longer had to worry about Booker following her, she decided to retrace her steps. At least she knew she came from the road. Both her tracks and Bookers were clearly marked in the sand and she stumbled her way back from where she came.

* * *

The helicopter was silent as the four men scanned the desert below them for any signs of life. Along with Hotch and Rossi, there was a pilot and an EMT. Should they find Emily, there was plenty of room left in the copter for her to lie flat on a stretcher. Neither the pilot nor medic made any comment about searching an area far from where the rest of the teams were looking.

Rossi also didn't comment, simply keeping his eyes open for any sign of Emily, but he was always aware of his friend. While Hotch sat still, tension and anxiety radiated off of him in palatable waves as he trained his binoculars on the desert floor below them.

They just had to find her, Hotch thought to himself.

For a few seconds, the images he saw of the desert below morphed into memories he had of Emily. That wide smile, those bottomless eyes that can stare down the most depraved of suspects but gently comfort and calm a terrified child, Emily Prentiss was a contradiction in every way, hard and soft, warm and cool, dark and light, all wrapped up in an intriguing, unique package that he realized too late that he had lost his heart to years ago.

He had wasted so much time and now, just when he realized she was the one he truly wanted, Fate was dealing him a cruel hand and taking her away.

Hotch shook his head to will away the memories and focus on the search. He mentally kicked himself for losing concentration for even a second. They could have flown over her and they wouldn't have known because he was distracted. This would not do because right now, it was about saving Emily. It wasn't about him and his feelings and fears of lost chances. He wasn't even sure if she even remotely felt the same about him.

There was only one way to find out and that was to bring her home, and that was what Hotch intended to do, no matter what it took.

* * *

Her gait was more of a stagger and stumble at this point and she had fallen to her knees more than once. It became harder and harder to regain her footing. The last time she fell, she couldn't get up again and bowed her head, trying to stop the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Well, well, well, love, giving up so easily now? Typical."

The familiar Irish brogue sent a chill through Emily's body and she felt herself still.

"You are not here," she rasped out loud.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Love, you know I'm never far from you."

She could hear someone kneeling down next to her and she smelled the cologne Ian Doyle used to wear. It was a hallucination, it had to be, but she couldn't help turn her head to the side to see.

Emily found herself staring into a pair of familiar, cold blue eyes. He didn't look the way he did when she last saw him. He wasn't the wild, broken and unkept man that Derek had tracked down and arrested. He was the deadly, dashing arms dealer she knew when she was Lauren Reynolds and he stood there now, a mocking look in his eyes as he took in her situation.

"Well, I wanted you to burn in Hell, Emily. This is close enough," Ian said in an easy tone.

"I'm hallucinating you," she growled out.

"Maybe you are. Ahhh, you must have cared for me in some way, Emily. Otherwise why conjure me up in your moment of need?" Doyle queried.

"Maybe so I would get up and get away from you!" she snarled out as she got unsteadily to her feet and took several heavy steps forward.

"You can't run away from me, Emily," Doyle replied as he fell easily into step with her. "I'm a part of you."

"No! You are nothing to me but a past that can never touch me or haunt me again!" she snapped. God, why did her mind do this to her? Why him of all people?

"We know that's not true, love. Stop lying to yourself. You know I'm there with you every night when you close your eyes and you try to sleep. I'm in your mind and I'll never leave." She could almost feel his hot breath in her ear as he whispered. "You'll never be rid of me."

"Go away!" she screamed out as she swung her fist towards Doyle. All she succeeded in doing was to knock herself off balance and once more she fell to her knees, her body protesting at the sudden movement and her injuries reminding her that besides dehydration, she had other physical issues.

Emily bowed her head as her hands fisted through the sand. She can't do this. She can't. She was getting weaker and weaker and it was getting harder and harder to keep going.

"I can't," she whispered brokenly. "I can't."

"Now, that's not the Emily Prentiss I know."

If she had the extra moisture in her body, she would have started crying when she heard the gentle voice. "Matthew," she whispered.

"I'm here, Em," her old friend said in his warm voice. She turned her head and instead of the shell she saw on the cold table in the morgue, she saw the friend she knew in Italy, the handsome, kind boy who refused to let her go through one of the worst times in her life alone. The friend who's life was never the same because of her. Emily had always carried the guilt that she had ruined Matthew's life with her choices. Afterall, he turned his back on the Church because it had scorned her.

"I'm sorry, Matthew," she said in a broken voice through her cracked lips.

He smiled at her. "You know we settled that a long time ago. It was never your fault."

"But you turned away from the Church because of me."

"Yes, but that wasn't what led me down my destructive path. Em, you know better than that. Remember who my parents were! I had a lot of other problems in my life. Whether the Church was in my life or not, it wouldn't have mattered."

"And then I left you," she said in a mournful voice. "After all that help you gave me, I just left you. I didn't support you when you needed me."

"Because I pushed you away-"

"But I should have tried harder! I should have fought you! I shouldn't have given up!" she sobbed out her years of guilt and anguish.

"I never gave you a chance, Em. And then your parents left Italy, sending you to that boarding school in Connecticut. It wasn't your fault. You tried, Emily. I was beyond saving. But you aren't."

"Matthew, I can't…," she moaned as her head sank once again into the sand.

"I've always wondered if you were tough enough for this job, Prentiss. Get on your feet."

She let out a bark of laughter. Of course, who would visit her now and order her about but Aaron Hotchner? She looked up into his sunglass covered eyes, the rest of his face as immobile as granite, the lines just as harsh.

"You should be happy that you were proven right," she wheezed.

"Right?" She could hear him crouch down to her level. "What do you mean?"

"From the very beginning, you've always had your doubts about me being on your team and in the BAU."

"Is that what you think? Then how do you explain me going after you when you resigned? I could have easily let you go if I didn't want you on my team."

"You felt you owed me. Face it, Hotch, you're driven my guilt. You felt guilty."

"Do you think I felt guilty after Doyle?" Hotch's quiet voice asked her. "I wanted you back with us. Demanded they let you back on the team. I never filled you spot no matter how much they pressured me to do so. It's because you're irreplaceable Emily."

"Then you made a mistake to wait for me. I'm leaving Hotch," she gazed dazedly around her. "One way or another."

"Not this way," his voice was hard and became bossy again. "If you leave, you leave the job, you don't leave your life. On your feet."

"I can't," she whimpered.

"Dammit, Prentiss, it wasn't a request, now on your feet!" Hotch's voice was harsh and loud.

Wearily, she got up, thinking dark thoughts about her supervisors imperious and bossy ways. For a moment, she swayed precariously on her feet but took a few wobbling steps forward. She took a deep breath and continued to walk forward at a shuffle, her only company the silent ghost that filled her imagination. For a while, whenever she faltered, one would be there, goading or encouraging her on. A part of her wondered why she would conjure up these three at this time.

"Maybe because you needed all of us, love," Doyle said in a mocking tone.

"I don't need you," Emily snarled at him.

"But we're all a part of you, Emily," Matthew replied in his gentle voice. "Each of us shaped you in some way. Me in your teen years."

"Early in your career, love," Doyle chimed in.

"And me now," Hotch said.

"You're all in my past. Over with," Emily gasped as her steps became even more erratic, weaker.

"Are we, Emily?" Hotch asked in his quiet voice. "Are we all in your past?"

She stopped then and turned to look at the Unit Leader. "Yes, I'm leaving, Hotch."

"The BAU, but are you leaving me?" Hotch stepped towards her, so close she thought she could smell him.

"I don't want to, but, what choice do I have?"

"We always have a choice. Why do you feel you need to leave me?"

"I'm stuck. I don't want my life to just be about this job. I want more. A man to love and who will love me. A home. Children."

"And if I say you could have it if you stayed. Not at the BAU, but stay with me."

She gazed up at him. "Can it really be?"

He smiled at her now, his dimples showing, all the emotions in his heart written clearly in his eyes. "Stay with me, Emily."

* * *

"What's that? Circle back around!" Hotch barked out as he caught a glimmer of something. As the helicopter swung back in an arc, he saw the reflection that had caught his eye and something, some shape. "Over there," he indicated with his hand.

The pilot obliged and Hotch sucked in his breath when he recognized the shape. "Emily!"

The second the runners touched the ground, Hotch was leaping from it and running towards Emily, her gold watch had caught a ray of sunshine and was the reflected light he saw from the chopter. He dropped to his knees and brushed her hair from her face. "Emily! Stay with me, Emily!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Son of a gun, I cannot write a short story to save my life. One more part after this! At this rate, by the time I finish, it'll be time to write Tigerlily ANOTHER birthday fic! Yeesh! **

* * *

It was so real, this dream of hers. Emily swore she could smell Hotch, hear him, even feel his fingers brush against her face as he pushed her hair back. But it was all a dream, brought on by dehydration and her injuries. There was nothing there, nothing but the darkness that she slipped deeper and deeper into.

* * *

"Stay with me, Emily!" Hotch screamed. He wasn't aware that Rossi and the EMT had come up behind him shouting at him to get out of the way so she could be treated. It took both men to finally shove him to the side and Rossi had to hold Hotch back as he came up snarling like some animal protecting his wounded mate.

"Aaron! Aaron! Let him help her!" Rossi cried out, trying to get through to his friend.

Somehow, Rossi's voice penetrated the red haze of that enveloped Hotch and when the older man was certain Aaron wasn't going to launch himself again at the EMT, Dave gave him a reassuring pat on his arm and hurried over to Emily's side to assist the medic.

Hotch stood mutely by as the EMT and Rossi began to work over Emily. The medic shoved something at Hotch and barked out an order. He found himself obeying without question, holding up an IV bag as the EMT expertly slid the needle at the other end into Emily's arm.

"That's all I can do for her here, we need to get her onto the stretcher and to the hospital now!" Roberts, the EMT, yelled out. "On the count of three. One…two…three!" Effortlessly, the three men lifted Emily and transferred her over to the stretcher. Trying not to jostle her, they carried the stretcher between them as they hurried it over to the waiting helicopter.

The pilot helped them fastened the stretcher and within seconds, they were airborne again, heading for the nearest hospital which was seven minutes away. The pilot remained in constant contact with the hospital as Roberts fired off details of Emily's condition so a team would be ready to meet them.

Hotch sat next to her, holding her hand, willing her to wake up so he could tell her all the things he had been scared to tell her before. That he was sorry for not being their sooner. That he regretted wasting such valuable time. That he realized he loved her and he couldn't see a life without her.

But she didn't regain consciousness. She didn't open her eyes. She didn't respond to Hotch in any way. They landed at the hospital and she was whisked away from him, being held back once more by Rossi as they took her behind a set of double doors, barring him from her.

"She'll be fine, Aaron," Rossi soothed. "There's no stronger fighter than Emily Prentiss." Certain he wouldn't bolt through the doors, Rossi gave Hotch a comforting pat and moved off to call the rest of the team.

Hotch stood there, gazing at the closed double doors and asked aloud, "What if she's too tired to fight this time?"

* * *

The black she was in slowly faded into gray. Her senses began to function again. Sound, she could hear the low hum of machines and the soft whisper of pages being turned. Touch, she felt worn cotton against her skin and an uncomfortable pinch of something on one arm. Smell, the odor of antiseptic assaulted her nose. Taste, she could taste nothing as her mouth was so dry she could almost hear the rasp of her tongue against her teeth.

The last thing she needed to do was open her eyes. Slowly, cautiously, she tried to raise her eyelids. Through the sliver of an opening, she saw a blinding light and closed her lids, wincing in pain. She tried again and this time the light did not seem as harsh. Her lashes fluttered she opened her eyes wide. It took a few seconds for her to focus and a few more for her to realize where she was.

Emily tried to swallow, a painful act for her dry mouth and throat. Slowly, she turned her head. Her movement caught the attention of the person sitting in the chair a few feet from the bed.

JJ set aside the magazine she had been flipping through. She got up and hurried over to Emily's side.

"You're awake!" the blonde cried out happily. She grinned at her friend and touched Emily's hand.

"Wa-, water," the brunette rasped out.

JJ hastily turned towards the bedside table and picked up a glass of water. She held the straw close to Emily who took several greedy sips and then licked her lips. "Where-?"

"Hospital," JJ explained. "You've been out for two days. We've all been taking turns sitting here, waiting for you to wake up." JJ sobered. "Emily, you scared the crap out of us."

"It wasn't my intention," Prentiss commented. "What happened?"

JJ explained about the search, about how Hotch had figured out her cryptic message and found her in the desert and brought her to the hospital. As JJ talked, Emily's eyes grew heavy again and when her blonde friend finished, the younger woman could hear her friend murmur.

"He found me."

Prentiss drifted off again and JJ smiled at her friend. The blonde tiptoed out of the room to make a phone call.

"Hotch? Emily woke up."

* * *

It was not the first time that Hotch cursed his leadership position. Booker's position as a detective on the force and the unsub who had been killing women for months created an administrative and legal nightmare for the city. For the past two days Hotch had been working with the local police to pick through the havoc while his team took shifts to make certain Emily was never alone and to have someone there if she woke up. Hotch had taken the late night shift at the hospital as it was the only time he could get away. He was beyond exhausted and the last place he wanted to be was talking to the Chief of Police and the District Attorney.

Hotch started when his phone rang. He excused himself and went out into the hallway to take his call.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch?" he heard JJ's voice. "Emily woke up."

With those few words, he could feel his exhaustion dissipating, the weight on his chest that had been sitting there the last few days falling away. A smile creased his face and he thanked JJ for the information and said he would be there right away. JJ told him not to hurry as Emily had fallen asleep again and likely would be out a few more hours at least.

"That'll give me time to wrap up here," Hotch replied. "If she wakes up again, please let her know that I'll be there as soon as possible." It was important to him that Emily knew he wanted to be by her side.

Hotch disconnected his call and with a determined expression on his face, went to finish his meeting.

* * *

Hotch's footsteps echoed through the quiet hallway of the hospital floor where Emily's room was located. It was late and far past visiting hours, but the BAU team had insisted on constantly being with their injured teammate and Emily's doctor had agreed, thinking their presence when she woke up would make things less stressful for her.

After finishing his meetings, Hotch had gone out and done some shopping. He was carrying with him a bouquet of bright daisies, a novel, and a teddy bear. He was certain he cut a somewhat foolish figure, but he didn't care. Emily was awake and he was going to make certain the rest of her time in the hospital would be spent as pleasantly as possible.

He entered the semi-dark room. A single, soft light near the bed was lit, bathing a still sleeping Emily in a golden glow and making the cuts, bruises and the nasty sunburn she had acquired during her time in the desert look less vicious. Rossi was seated next to the bed in the chair they had all become familiar with the past two days. His head drooped slightly, indicating the older man was dozing. Hotch approached him quietly.

"Dave," Aaron murmured as he shook his friend's shoulder.

"Mmrrggpph," Rossi grunted as he started awake. He blinked a few times and looked around, checking first on Emily who had not stirred and then looking up to see Hotch standing there with his assortment of gifts for the invalid.

"Aaron," Rossi yawned as he rubbed his face with a weary hand. He blinked his eyes hard a few times to focus them. He looked up again at his old friend and noted the assortment of gifts the younger man held. "Ah, you came bearing gifts." He gave Hotch a knowing smirk.

"JJ told me she woke up. I wanted to make sure she wasn't bored enough to give the hospital staff trouble." He ignored Dave's comment.

"She'll still give them trouble," Rossi replied as he stood to stretch his stiff body. "She's been in and out, but it lucid." He glanced at his watch. "You're early."

"Meetings wrapped up. I can take the rest of the night. Go back to the hotel and get some rest."

That knowing smirk was back on Rossi's face, but Hotch continued to ignore it. He simply set down the bear and book and rooted around for a container to put the daisies in. Rossi watched all this with his arms crossed and an evil look in his eyes.

"I should be telling you to go to the hotel to get some sleep," Rossi noted as Hotch filled an extra pitcher with water. The younger man unwrapped the flowers, dumped the packet of powdered food that accompanied the bouquet into the filled pitcher and then placed the flowers into the water. "You've barely gotten any sleep over the last two days. You spend all day in those meeting with the city and then all night here."

"I'm fine," Aaron noted as he adjusted a few bloom and then carried them over to the table next to Emily's bed.

"You were pretty upset when Emily was missing."

"One of my agents was in the hands of a serial killer. Of course I was upset," was Hotch's dry reply.

"Panic was in your eyes, my friend, along with something else," Dave noted as he started to make his way towards the door. "I saw how you looked at her when you two were dancing at JJ's wedding." He saw Hotch stiffen. "Don't wait too long to say anything, Aaron. I know what it means to be too late." He smiled sadly at his friend as memories of Carolyn assaulted him. "Don't make my mistakes." He nodded once and left the room.

Hotch watched the door close behind Dave and then turned around to look at Emily who was still sleeping peacefully. His fingers itched to touch her. He hadn't done so since the helicopter ride. Somehow, it felt like he should have her permission first before he took that liberty. Hotch settled for pulling the chair closer to her bed until he was almost up against it.

"Do you know how much you mean to me?" he said softly. He chuckled lightly. "I didn't know how much you meant to me until we danced at JJ's wedding. I've been an idiot, Emily. A blind, foolish idiot for not seeing you this entire time. And because I've been so blind and stupid, I've managed to hurt Beth and nearly lose you. There's nothing I can do to make it up to Beth. She didn't deserve it though I never led her on. But still, I didn't stop things before she became too involved. I knew from the beginning I wasn't in love with her nor would I ever be, but she was just so easy, uncomplicated. I didn't have to do any work in the relationship. But that wasn't what I wanted. No, what I wanted was right there by my side for the past six years. I thought I would wait until things were quieter before I told you how I felt, but after almost losing you, I'm not waiting any more, Emily. So you need to open up those beautiful, brown eyes and let me tell you how I feel. Come on, Em. Wake up for me."

He really didn't think his words would produce any result, but to Hotch's surprise, Emily's eyelids began to flutter. He leaned forward in eager anticipation as her eyes opened. Once again, she looked about her, disoriented for the first few seconds before she saw his face. Her face scrunched in confusion for a second before it smoothed out when she recognized him.

"Hotch."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This story does not want to end! I thought this was going to be the last part, but noooo! Emily had to go and make things difficult! My fellow Tiger,Tigerlily, I hope you're enjoying this!**

* * *

The blackness was not so cold and forbidding this time. It was warm and comforting, as though she was wrapped in soft cashmere. She felt safe. She heard a low murmur of a voice, deep, resonant. It seemed familiar and she strained to make out the words. For some reason, she knew those words were important, but she couldn't quite understand what was being said. She frowned, her face scrunching itself up and she tried to pry her eyelids open.

The light in the room was soft now, the evening hour inspiring dim lighting. She focused her eyes and saw herself staring into two dark orbs set in face creased with weary and worried lines.

"Hotch," she breathed out. Her face scrunched up again in confusion. "What time is it?"

"It's about 9 pm," he said gently. His hands itched to touch her, but he didn't feel he had that right so he pressed them tightly against each other, holding them between his knees as he leaned towards the bed.

"That late? What are you doing here?" she yawned. "You should be back at the hotel."

"I wanted to make sure you weren't alone," he explained.

"You were going to watch me sleep?" she asked in disbelief. Emily yawned again. "Hotch, I'm fine. Go get some rest. You don't need to be here."

"Actually, I do," he said softly. He licked his lips and leaned closer to the bed. "I needed to make sure you were okay. I needed to see that for myself."

She gave him a slightly puzzled look. "Well, okay. Actually, I'm glad you're here."

"Really?" he smiled, pleased that she felt that way.

Her mind was still sluggish, the effects of the accident and her time in the desert slowing down her thought process and powers of observation. Otherwise, Emily would have realized Hotch was acting far differently than she had ever seen him before except maybe when he was still with Haley and things were good between the married couple.

"Mmmm hmmmm," she murmured as she fought to stay awake. "It's about my resignation. I know I still have about two weeks left before my last day, but I'd like go sooner."

That made Hotch pull back a little. It wasn't what he was expecting to hear. "I see. May I ask why?" he said in a thick voice.

Emily sighed and she shifted slightly in bed, twinges of pain from her injuries radiating throughout her body. A flicker of discomfort creased her face and Hotch leaned forward in concern. She caught his movement and knew what prompted it. "That's why," she sighed. "I'm here, again, in a hospital bed. Hurt. Hotch, I could have died out there. How many times have I been close to death? How many times have I been hurt and wound up in the hospital? I know it's part of the job, but I'm sick of it. What's waiting for me at home? I love Sergio, but is that all I get out of life? I put myself on the line every day, get hurt, hospitalize and all that's waiting for me is a cat."

He had never heard her sound so bitter and jaded before. He knew Emily wasn't an idealistic agent. She was hardened, they all were to an extent because their job required it, but she always had that side of her that fought so hard for the victim, that saw their work as being worth something and she was always willing to give so unselfishly for it.

But that was the problem, Hotch realized. Emily _had_ given so unselfishly, perhaps too much. He lost his marriage and eventually Haley lost her life because of his job, but he had managed to carve out something in his life that he could call his own, Jack. JJ, Rossi, Garcia, even Morgan and Reid have managed to make out some life away from the BAU. But Emily had always been immersed in her job, giving her all to the people. And what did she get in return? Another injury, another scar.

Here was his chance to show her that there could be something else for her beyond the BAU. That _he_ wanted to be the person waiting for her at home.

"That's why I want to leave immediately," Emily continued, unaware of Hotch's thoughts. "I want to start my new life immediately, away from serial killers, away from death and hospitals and the BAU."

That caught his attention. "You want to be away from us?" His heart skipped a beat.

Emily sighed again. "It's not you guys personally, just the job. I want away from it and a chance to live my life. Surely you can understand that?"

He nodded and leaned forward. "So, where do you think you'll start this new life?"

"Away from DC," she said firmly. "I want a fresh start. Some place where I can have a chance."

"What if your chance is in DC?" Hotch asked as he leaned in closer to her.

"You mean a different job?" Emily asked with a frown on her face. "I really don't want a position in another section of the Bureau."

"No, I mean what if that person you want in your life is in DC?" He was moving closer to Emily until his face was almost hovering above hers.

She gave him another puzzled frown, confused by his close proximity. Emily licked her still chapped lips nervously. There was an intensity and tenderness in Hotch's face she had never seen before. She didn't know what to make of it or what he was saying to her.

"You found a Prince Charming for me in DC?" she joked lightly to hide her confusion.

"Yeah, I think I have," Hotch whispered. "Me." He leaned slowly forward and kissed a dumbfounded Emily.

Against her slightly chapped ones, his lips felt soft. Tentatively, she felt the tip of his tongue tease the seam there, surprising her and causing her to part her lips. Aaron took advantage of this and his tongue slid in with the quickness of a snake to taste the sweetness of her mouth.

Emily's eyelids fluttered as the sensations and the emotions the kiss were invoking overwhelmed her senses. One hand came up to thread through Hotch's short hair. His hands came to rest on other side of her head and he leaned down over her.

She leaned up to kiss him more thoroughly and he was happy to oblige. The kiss seemed to last forever and he never wanted it to end, but he needed to breath. They parted and he touched his forehead against hers, panting slightly.

Emily closed her eyes, trying to regulate her breathing and the whirling emotions inside of her. She licked her lips again. "Hotch, what are you doing?"

"Showing you that there's a reason to stay in DC. That there's someone who wants to be there for you," he rumbled out.

"I don't understand," she murmured. "How-? When-?"

"I think I've been in love with you for a long time. I just didn't realize it until JJ's wedding when he were dancing. Holding you in my arms, it felt like the most perfect thing in the world. I want that perfect, Emily. I want you."

She stared at him with wide eyes and then slowly blinked them. This had to be a dream. Aaron Hotchner could not be saying these words to her. He was in love with her? But he had a girlfriend.

"What about Beth?"

"I broke up with her right after the wedding. I knew it wasn't right and it wasn't fair to her to keep stringing her along when I knew it wouldn't be going anywhere." He picked up one of Emily's hands, marveling at how tiny it looked cradled in his palm. He kissed the back of her hand, dumbfounding Emily once more. She looked up into Hotch's eyes.

When Emily hadn't spoken for several seconds, Hotch's smile began to fade. "Emily? Sweetheart, say something."

In all the scenarios he dreamed of, Emily staring mutely did not occur to him.

"Emily?" Anxiety and fear were beginning to claw inside of him.

She bit her lip and scooted back away from him on the bed. "This is so sudden, Hotch. Sudden and surprising. I'm not sure what to think."

He sobered immediately. "I know I just sprang this on you. You've been through so much and then to have me tell you I've been in love-,"

"Please," she begged, feeling even more uncomfortable. "Stop using that word."

"Why? It's how I feel."

"I just feel I need to say it back to you and…" Her voice trailed off.

"But you're not sure if you do," he finished softly for her. He could feel his heart sinking, but Aaron Hotchner was not a quitter. He knew there were certain things in life he needed to fight for, the important things, and Emily was so important to him. He always went after what he wanted and he wanted Emily. She may be uncertain of her feelings now and if she wasn't in love with him, well, it was up to him to change all that.

"How about we start off slowly," he suggested. "Say when we get back to DC I take you out to dinner."

"Knowing you are already in love with me?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. "Don't you think makes things a little…weird?"

"No, I think it gives us a head start," he replied easily. "You know how I feel, you know I'm in for the long haul, that I want this to work. I want us to work, Emily."

She let out a long sigh and gnawed the corner of her lip. Hotch smiled at the tell that he found adorable. He looked at her expectantly.

Emily's brain was still functioning slowly. This had to be a dream. Aaron Hotchner did not just declare his love for her. That simply wasn't possible. She gazed up at him, looking down at her with so much affection in his eyes, that small smile on his lips. His hand came up and gently brushed back some hair on her forehead.

"Slowly? We take things slowly?" she asked.

"We take it at whatever speed you want, Emily," he replied, his hand now stroking her hair, lulling her to sleep.

Her eyes became heavy with his rhythmic touch. "I don't want to lead you on, Hotch. I can't promise anything." Her eyes closed and her breathing deepened.

"I know, Emily," Hotch said softly, "But know I can promise you this, I will never give up on us."

* * *

Emily slept deeply the rest of the night and when she woke up it was to Reid taking his turn by her bed. The young man was engrossed in a thick novel, quickly flipping pages as he breezed through the book. Emily smiled indulgently for a few minutes, watching him and giving herself time to orient herself. By the time Reid realized she was awake, Emily had convinced herself that last night's events and Hotch's declaration were the results of a heat addled brain.

"You're awake!" the young man declared in delight. "How are you feeling?"

"Actually," Emily yawned as she gently stretched and was pleased to see she didn't feel much pain. "Better. I'm starving right now."

"Then we have excellent timing," a voice from the door announced. Rossi, JJ and Morgan stood there, carrying an assortment of bags and take out containers.

"We were hoping since you woke up last night that you might be hungry this morning," JJ replied as she bustled forward and began to sort out the food.

The aroma of a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, biscuits, honey and hash browns filled the air and Emily's mouth watered. With Reid's help, she was propped up in bed with a mound of pillows supporting her. Soon they were all partaking of the hot breakfast that was accompanied by tea for Emily and coffee for everyone else.

For several minutes Emily simply concentrated on her food. After several days of being on liquids, she was more than ravenous. Her friends were pleased to see her eating so they made no demands on her to participate in the conversation that swirled around her. This gave her time to think about what happened last night. The events had to be a dream, but she remembered the details so clearly. However, the man in question was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Hotch?" she asked in a casual tone when there was a lull in the conversation.

"He's back at the hotel getting some sleep," Reid explained. He had come to the hospital at 6 am and Aaron has slipped away for a shower and some sleep.

"Oh. He was here all night?" Emily asked a little uneasily. Maybe it wasn't all a dream.

"Yeah. Hotch has been taking the night shifts. He said you seemed to sleep pretty well last night."

At that moment, the man they had been discussing came into the room, dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt. He raised his eyebrow at the now empty containers and sent JJ a frown.

"Did Emily's doctor clear this food?" he asked in his authoritative voice.

JJ sighed. "Of course I checked with the doctor first, Hotch. In fact, he should be pleased that Em is eating again." She smiled at the brunette. Then she frowned at their team leader. "I thought you were getting a few hours of sleep."

Hotch waved his hand dismissively. "I caught a couple of hours last night while Emily slept. I'm fine, though I could use some of that coffee. Prentiss, how are you feeling this morning?"

Emily regarded him carefully. His face held concerned interest, but nothing more. He had addressed her as "Prentiss". He was acting like Hotch. She had to laugh at herself for her fanciful dream. Of course Hotch didn't declare his love for her last night. Of course he didn't give her a mind-blowing kiss. However, she couldn't feel a bit of sadness that it none of it was true.

She mustered up a small smile. "I'm feeling much better, Hotch."

He nodded. "Good. You might want to make sure you call Garcia. She's been demanding hourly reports on your condition."

Conversation turned to the case they had just completed with Hotch updating them on what he had been working on with the local law enforcement and the DA. After a while, Emily's doctor came in to check up on her. Her teammates excused themselves, giving her some privacy. Hotch was the last to leave the room. He saw JJ asking the doctor about some paperwork. He handed Emily her cell phone reminding her to call Garcia. She smiled at him and nodded, still thinking she was foolish to believe her dream was real when he suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"As soon as you're out of this hospital bed, Agent Prentiss, be prepared to be wooed." He straightened up and grinned at her, revealing his seldom seen dimples before he turned around and left a gaping Emily in his wake.

It looked like she hadn't been dreaming afterall.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm pretty certain this story won't be finished until Tigerlily's NEXT birthday. My fellow Tiger, Emily is just not cooperating. She's making Big Boy chase after her. So here is the next and unfortunately NOT the final part. Oy!**

* * *

Emily Prentiss did not like being confused. Not the confusion that surrounded her when trying to solve a case, that was to be expected, and solved. Nor the confusion that comes everyday life like, why is my coffee drink suddenly fifty-cents more expensive?

No, this confusion was in a different class. It was an all encompassing, absolutely inexplicable type of confusion that blinded-sided Emily and the only thing she hated more than being confused was being blind-sided. All this served to work Emily up which is not the best thing after nearly dying in the desert. While the doctor cleared her to travel, she was still aching from the car wreck and her sunburn was starting to peel and itch. Her physical discomfort only served to agitate her confusion and heightened it. She felt fidgety and anxious and…confused.

And this was all Aaron Hotchner's fault.

To say that his declaration that he was in love with her, had been for a while, was a shock would be an understatement. It was tantamount to a cataclysmic event. A crashing of tectonic plates. She had no idea how to respond, what to say. If she were to be honest, she would admit she was attracted to the man, drawn to him, but she wasn't sure if she was _in love_ with him. She had only thought herself to have been in love twice before and in retrospect, she knew what she felt for John Cooley and Ian Doyle was not love. One was a lonely girl looking for a place in the world, the other was nothing more than an agent completing a mission being seduced by a charismatic man and the love of his child.

Emily admired, respect and liked Hotch. She enjoyed the rare flashes of humor and compassion that he showed. She was grateful for his strength and determination. But did she love him? She simply wasn't certain. However, according to Aaron Hotchner if she wasn't in love with him now, he would make sure she would be soon.

Her mouth twisted into a wry smile that had a touch of a sneer. It was on the tip of her contrary tongue to tell Hotch "good luck with that", but she knew better than to bet against him. That determination she admired so much, she knew he would put that to use in doing what he said he would, woo her until she fell in love with him.

Damn him.

Just when she thought she was getting some semblance of her life back in order, making the decision to leave the BAU, looking into a new career, just when she was starting to feel more like herself again, Aaron Hotchner throws this bomb right smack in the middle and she has no clue as to how to handle it.

Emily found herself thrilled, curious and terrified. Curious as to what it would be like to be courted by the man, thrilled that she would be the center of such attention and terrified where all this could lead. So Emily did what she always did in these confusion situations.

She punted.

The doctor released her from the hospital and Emily made sure the entire time from the trip to the airport to actually sitting on the plane that she had JJ and Morgan on either side of her. Both of her friends were happy to accommodate her with JJ hovering over Emily with a motherly air and Morgan anxious to make sure his partner's every need was seen to. This left Hotch several steps away from Emily, looking at her with his usual stoic expression, but Emily could see the slight tilt of the corner of his mouth and the gleam in his eye that told her he knew what she was doing and was amused by it.

Damn that man.

Stubbornly, Emily looked forward straight into Morgan's anxious face as the plane lifted gracefully into the air and the fastened seatbelt sign was turned off.

"Do you need anything, Emily?" Derek asked in a solicitous tone.

She smiled at Morgan and with her peripheral vision saw Hotch's eyes narrow ever slightly. Okay, maybe this wasn't going to be all that bad. She widened her smile a touch and the amused tilt in the corner of Hotch's mouth started to move downward.

"I'd love some tea and one of those packets of chocolate chip cookies," Emily replied.

"Tea is fine, but no cookies," JJ said in that "mom" voice. She dug through her bag and produced a package of whole wheat, low sodium crackers. "This is better for you."

Emily blanched at the sight of what she knew were tasteless snacks. "JJ!"

"No way are you eating those sugary cookies," JJ repeated firmly. "The doctor said plain food for another two days and to cut down on the salt. Ease your way back in. So here." She had opened the packet and handed Emily a couple of the crackers.

The brunette stared at the little brown squares and frowned. "I think I'll pass."

"I don't blame you, Bella," Rossi said from across the aisle where he was seated next to Hotch. "I've seen checker pieces that looked more appealing."

"You know by leaving early, Garcia is going to be upset that you've dodged the going away party at the office," JJ commented as she neatly repackaged the crackers and put them away. Emily had told the rest of the team about her earlier than expected departure. It came as no surprise to them and the Bureau agreed to her request. She would have been out on medical leave for most of her remaining time anyway.

"Well, that is one benefit to leaving early," Emily replied dryly knowing how overboard the perky tech analyst could get.

"Have you decided what job offer to take?" Reid asked. Besides Clyde Easter's Interpol offer, Counterterrorism, the State Department and NSA had been actively pursuing Emily once it got around she was leaving the BAU. And those where only the government agencies. She had also appeared on the radar of the private sector as well.

"I'm going to take a little time off before I make a decision," Emily replied. "I was thinking of doing a little traveling."

She could see Hotch still at her words and felt a prick of anxiety. It was the first time any of them had heard of her plans to leave the area for even a brief period of time. This would make Hotch's attempts at wooing much more difficult.

Well, he should have known she wouldn't be that easy. Hell, she wasn't Beth.

The conversation turned to places Emily could travel to and how long she would be. Hotch's heart began to sink when he heard of all the far off locations she was considering and the ones the others were suggestion. Hadn't the woman heard of a staycation?

Hotch was nothing if not adaptable. This just meant he would need to alter his plans slightly and step up his timetable. Emily wasn't going to make it easy for him. But he already knew that. The wary, disbelieving look in her eyes made that clear. However, Hotch felt a thrill of anticipation, an eagerness in the hunt as he pursued this beautiful woman. It touched a primal part of him that he had suppressed for far too long. He could feel that excitement of new love that filled every fiber of his being whenever he looked at or thought of Emily. This is the feeling that had been missing for so long, even before he and Haley divorced.

Dave was wrong. Dating Beth didn't bring him back to life. Emily did.

As Hotch mused and planned, Emily fell asleep. While no longer in danger from her injuries, she was still easily tired and slept most of the plane ride home. JJ nudged her awake a few minutes before they landed and with the small blonde fussing over Emily, made sure her injured friend was safely put into a car in which Morgan would take the brunette home.

Following strict instructions, Derek made sure Emily was comfortably situated at home on the couch with Sergio purring next to her. After assuring her friend she would be fine, Emily shooed him out of her apartment and was about to order take out that would have JJ throwing a fit if she knew Prentiss was eating it when there was a knock at her front door. A stab of guilt went through Emily and she wondered if it was her blonde friend checking up on her, making sure she wasn't eating something she should not have been.

However, one glance through the peephole had her silently cursing herself for not realizing immediately who it would be.

Aaron Hotchner.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: For my fellow tiger, Tigerlily, before her little one arrives! So here's the scoop. I apologize for not updating stories at a faster rate but at work has been insane. Really insane. So these updates are going to be a little slow and I'm very sorry about that, but as it is, work is leeching over into my spare time. So I'm just sneaking in a few minutes here and there to write. But I will keep updating. Just slowly. Also, the nomination ballot is up for the 2012 Profilers' Choice awards. The link is: www. fanfiction topic / 74868/ 69379386/1/. Just take out all the spaces, but if that doesn't work for you, just go to the Criminal Minds Forums and go to "Chit Chat on Authors' Forum". There are a lot of talented authors out there with great stories so show your appreciation for these folks and nominate them! Now on with our story!**

* * *

Emily rested her head against her door and sighed quietly. She had hoped she would have a little time before she would have to face Hotch again. Time to recover, time to think about his sudden declaration of feelings for her and examine what she really felt for the man. However, she should have known that he would not have given her any time to regain her footing, to fortify herself against what he had promised would be an onslaught of romantic overtures. When Aaron Hotchner wanted something, he went after it, full throttle, and he has decided he wanted her.

A part of her felt thrilled and excited. She had to admit there was something about him that drew her in, that she found attractive and intriguing. Another part of her was annoyed. Emily Prentiss didn't make hasty decisions. She thought things over carefully, weighed the pros and cons of each decision. But Hotch wasn't even giving her that luxury. _Probably to keep her off balance_, she thought in exasperation. It was a pure tactical move and classic Aaron Hotchner. Surprise your opponent.

Why was she resisting this so much? She liked Hotch. She was attracted to him. He had been clear that he would do what he needed to win her heart. Why not just enjoy it?

Because she knew she could easily lose her heart to this man and that terrified her. The hand that was resting against the door tightened into a fist. She was afraid. Afraid she would lose herself so completely to this man only to be discarded like she had been so many times before. Her parents, other men in her life, even in some ways her teammates. Didn't you forgive those you love no matter what? How long did it take some, perhaps all of her BAU family to accept her again after Doyle? It wasn't immediate.

Except with Hotch. He never held it against her. He never froze her out. He tried to protect her as best he could. He even tried to take the brunt of the anger from the others. She trusted him with her life, but could she trust him with her heart?

He knocked again. She could feel the vibrations through the door. He wasn't going to go away. Emily knew that much.

Taking a deep breath that she slowly let out, Emily unlocked the door and slowly swung it open.

"Hi," she said softly.

He smiled gently at her and held up a paper bag. "I brought over some food for you."

Her eyes lit up at that. Emily was very hungry and her nose was telling her that whatever was inside the non-descript brown paper bag was aromatic and very yummy. She stepped aside to let him in and after she had closed and re-locked the door, led him to her kitchen.

"I hope it's not more low sodium wheat crackers." Emily joked.

Hotch grinned at her, flashing a set of dimples she had not seen in a while. Her heart did an odd little flutter. To hide her flustered state, she busied herself with peering into the paper bag that Hotch had set on her counter.

"No, no low sodium wheat crackers, though it is something that your doctor would approve of," he replied as he watched her dig through the bag.

Emily pulled out some egg drop noodle soup, some plain steamed rice, steamed vegetables and beef and broccoli. Her eyes lit up.

"Food! Real food and not cardboard," she cried out happily. She moved to a cabinet to get some plates and glasses. She glanced over her shoulder. "You are joining me?"

He smiled again and nodded, pleased that she was asking him to stay. He slipped onto a barstool as Emily set plates and utensils before him. The food was divided up and for several minutes, there was silence as they ate. Or rather Hotch watched Emily devour her food. He raised his eyebrow in amusement, happy to see her appetite was still there.

After a few minutes, Emily realized Hotch had barely touched his food while half of her plate had been eaten. She blushed a delicate pink and dabbed at her mouth with a paper napkin. "Sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed by the clear evidence of her hunger.

"Why?" Hotch queried her. "I'm glad to see you have your appetite. You need to build your strength back up." He picked up his own fork and speared a piece of broccoli before putting it in his mouth.

"You didn't have to bring me dinner," Emily said.

"I like doing things for you," Hotch replied. He reached across the counter to touch her hand. "You deserve to be pampered and fussed over, Emily."

Her blush deepened. "Hotch…" She cleared her throat and freed her hand to take a sip of her water. "How did you know beef broccoli from Red Lantern was one of my favorites?"

"Emily, I'm a profiler. I notice things. But especially about you. I didn't realize how much I noticed until I realized I could truly lose you forever." Hotch's eyes softened and he reached for her hand again.

"Hotch, about that…"

"I'm pushing too hard," he said in a gentle voice. "I know. I nearly lost you a few days ago, Emily and that scared the Hell out of me. I don't want to waste any more time."

"But Hotch, I need time," she sighed. She removed her hand from his once more and noted how much colder it felt without his warm skin pressing against hers. But she needed to get this out if only to give him an opportunity to back out before either of them got in too deep. "I don't know what I feel. You drop this on me, while I'm in the hospital, and I haven't had time to process any of it. I'm leaving the BAU. I'm trying to decide my future. You're not giving me a moment to breath, Hotch."

She stood up and walked into the living room. Hotch followed her and watched as she walked to the windows that overlooked the street below.

"Are you saying you have no feelings for me," he asked quietly.

"No!" she cried out softly as she spun around to look at him. "That's not what I'm saying." He looked so sad and every fiber in her wanted to take away that look on his face. She stepped closer to him. "I'm just saying I'm not sure what I feel. I'm saying I need time."

"So what do we do? I mean, what if you decide you're going to take that Interpol job or some job away from the area? Do we add distance to this as well?" Anxiety began to claw inside of him. Would everything be over before it even had a chance to start?

"I don't know what I'm going to do," she admitted. She looked up into his face and gave him a faint smile. "But I do know that thanks to my little jaunt in the desert and that car accident, I'm not taking any job for at least a week or two. I'm not saying no, Hotch. I'm just saying give me a little time and don't come on so strong."

He wasn't entirely happy with what she was saying, but he wasn't entirely put off. She was only asking for a little time and not for him to stop completely. He could do that. It will be hard to do. His instinct is to go after what he wanted and he wanted Emily Prentiss, badly. He couldn't rid himself of the feeling that if he didn't do something, she would be lost to him forever. But to have her, he needed to follow her lead. While Hotch was certain of his feelings, he knew Emily wasn't as clear about what she felt for him. He couldn't push her too hard on this or she would retreat, and had his emotions not taken over so completely a few days ago, he would have altered his approach.

"Okay," he finally agreed. "I won't come on so strong."

"Thank you," she said grateful he didn't take her request badly. She gave him a saucy grin. "But that doesn't mean you can't keep bringing me Red Lantern take out."

Hotch chuckled and gently steered her back to the kitchen. "We should finish our dinner before it gets completely cold."

"Hotch," she stopped him. "Thank you. I can't promise you anything right now because I'm not really sure how I feel. But I do want to figure it out. To find out and see, if there is an "us" here. Thank you for doing this for me."

"Em," he put his hands on her shoulders to draw her closer to him. "Know that I would do anything for you."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I don't think I got this next part in before my fellow Tiger delivered, but in case she's waiting around wanting something to read, here's the next part of her never ending birthday gift. I guess you can call this part "Nebraska". You'll see what I mean!**

* * *

The night of Chinese food and good conversation ended pleasantly and tamely. As Hotch promised, he took things slowly and with a gentle hug, mindful of her injuries, wished her a good night. As things would have it, Hotch's campaign of wooing was forced to wait regardless of Emily's wishes. The next day, the BAU were sent out on another case to Kansas City. Hotch called Emily just before he was about to board the plane.

"Hi," her warm voice washed over. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to let you know that I might be out of touch for a few days," Hotch told her with a slight twinge of regret in his voice and sounding more than just a bit harried as he packed his briefcase with the necessary files.

"Caught a case, huh?" Hearing Hotch grunt out an affirmative her voice became softer. "Bad one?"

"Aren't they all?" Hotch sighed. He swallowed hard. "Yeah. Kids."

He heard her huff out a gentle breath. "I'm sorry." There was a small pause. "I know it's hard, especially these cases, but…they call you because they know you make a difference."

Hotch closed his eyes and his hand tightened around the handle of his briefcase. He had felt resentful and exhausted when this case came in, they hadn't even had a chance to recover from the last one, but no one on his team could turn down a case that involved children. Yet the feelings were there, deep within him, perhaps they had been festering for a long time. They were making him question why he continued this work, why put himself through this torture? Then, with a few simple words, this woman, this beautiful, wonderful woman he realized he was in love with instilled in him again his drive, his passion for this work, why he did this.

Because he made a difference.

"Thank you," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Any time."

* * *

Emily hadn't expected Hotch to call her again for a few days, but he called that night, apologizing for the late hour. She assured him that it was fine though it was past midnight for her. She asked him about the case and he was reluctant to talk about it, assuring her he called to see how she was doing, but she knew he wouldn't have called this late to just check on how her day went. She gently informed him that it was fine to talk about the case with her.

Hotch described the details of the case, answering her probing questions, her gentle comments that pushed him to look at the case from different angles, to consider aspects that none of them had brought up that day. Before he knew it, they had been on the phone for over an hour.

"Emily, I'm so sorry, I've kept you up past 1 am," Hotch cried out in dismay when he happened to glance at the cheap beside clock on the nightstand. He closed his eyes and mentally kicked himself. _Great way to romance a woman, Hotchner, keep her up until the early morning hours talking about a child killer._

However, he heard only a warm, gentle laugh. "Don't worry about it, Hotch. I get to sleep in tomorrow. You don't. Did I help any?"

He smiled widely. "More than you. In more ways than one."

"Well, I'm glad." She paused a moment. "Think you'll be able to get some sleep? You'll have to get up in a few hours."

"How do you know when I wake up?"

"You're not the only profiler, Hotch," she teased.

He chuckled. "Good night, Emily."

"Good night, Hotch."

* * *

He called again the next two nights, always apologizing for the late hour. She reassured him, again, that it was fine. They talked until he felt the tension he had been holding in all day simply melt away. Hotch had never realized the calming and soothing affect Emily's voice had on him until it was gone. Of course the frustration, the doubt, the fears he felt were never apparent to the team. He hid them well. But late at night, alone with Emily if only by telephone, he could express them. There was no judgment, no criticism, no reproach. She simply listened and understood. The calls became less about the case and more about his fears and doubts. Was he really helping? Will he find this killer before more children died? Was he doing enough now?

She would listen and assure him that he was helping, that he would find the monster and that he was doing more than anyone could ever expect and every time they said goodbye, he felt he could face the day again. Face the horrors and know he was making a difference.

The fourth day Hotch was gone Emily was coming back from a follow-up appointment with her doctor when she saw it hanging from the knob of her front door. She cautiously approached, memories of the last time an unexpected package was left on her doorstep came rushing back to her. It was a small wicker basket with an arrangement of various shades of violets. A tiny white bow was tied around the basket and there was no card. It was small, modest, and perfectly lovely.

Unlike the last time flowers were left mysteriously on her doorstep, there was no rush of anxiety, no fear because she knew who it was from and she couldn't help the soft smile that curled around her mouth. She brought the flowers up to her nose and inhaled the delicate scent as she entered her apartment. Many a times she had received roses or orchids, but Emily, despite her upbringing, was not an extravagant woman. She loved the small, the unique, the simple, the modest. Most men would have sent her the typical bouquet, but as she already knew, Aaron Hotchner was not most men.

Later that night, as she waited for his call, she couldn't help but glance over at her nightstand where she had set the small basket and once again, the sight of them called forth a soft smile from her. Her cellphone rang and even before she could speak he asked her,

"Did you enjoy your gift?"

Emily chuckled softly. "Yes, it's beautiful. What made you think of sending me violets?"

"Nebraska."

"Excuse me?" she asked in confusion.

"More specifically Garfield, Nebraska. That case we had three years ago where that married couple were targeting other couples. Remember when you, Reid and I went to go examine where one of the victims' car was left abandoned? It was in a field. As we were walking back to our car, I remember you fell behind Reid and me. I turned around to see if you had spotted something, and you did: a small patch of wild blue violets. I watched as you bent down and picked one. You lifted it to your nose, smelled it and a beautiful smile appeared on your face. You then tucked it into a buttonhole on your jacket, this little blue flower and started walking towards us again. You wore that little flower all day and well into the night."

Emily was shocked into silence, surprised he remembered such a trivial incident. She _barely_ remembered it.

"Hotch, I don't know what to say that you remember something so insignificant."

"It wasn't insignificant, Em," he's voice came out in a gentle rumble. "It was you reminding yourself that despite all the ugly, horrible things we see, there's still something wonderful and beautiful out there. You're my violet, Em. You're my wonderful and beautiful despite all the ugly I see."

She felt herself choking up with an overwhelming jumble of emotions. Tears pricked her eyes and for once Emily Prentiss found herself at a loss for what to say. "Hotch, I-, I'm so…I can't even begin to describe what I feel."

"You don't have to, Emily, just know and understand how I feel."

"I think I'm really beginning to."

* * *

**A/N 2: Now you know why I said this was could be called "Nebraska". Yes, Hotch has begun his "wooing' campaign. Also, the nomination ballot is up for the 2012 Profilers' Choice awards. The link is: www. fanfiction topic / 74868/ 69379386/1/. Just take out all the spaces, but if that doesn't work for you, just go to the Criminal Minds Forums and go to "Chit Chat on Authors' Forum". There are a lot of talented authors out there with great stories so show your appreciation for these folks and nominate them! Now on with our story!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: And the wooing continues!**

* * *

She shouldn't have been surprised that there was another gift waiting for her the next day when she came back from the run the doctor had advised against but she went ahead and did it anyway. Panting, sweating and feeling more than a little sore, she saw a prettily wrapped package propped up against her door. It was small and about the size of a hard cover book. When she unwrapped it inside the privacy of her apartment a few moments later, she saw it was a book.

It was a first edition of Kurt Vonnegut's _Sirens of Titan_ to be exact. It wasn't a pristine first edition. It was obviously a book that had been well read many times over. As a fan, Emily did have an almost perfect collection of first edition Vonneguts, a gift from an indulgent aunt, so she was familiar with the price range for a book in this condition. At the very least, it cost Hotch in the hundreds, if not four figures.

Her finger tips lovingly traced the outer edges of the book and she gently opened it up, listening to the gentle crackling sound the worn spine made. She read a passage here and there, reacquainting herself with the book. As she flipped towards the front something on the title page caught her eye and she paused, looking at the faded penciled words on the page carefully.

Written in a bold, but ye, still adolescent looking handwriting were the words, "This book belongs to Aaron Hotchner."

The book was cradled gently against her chest and she was absently stroking Sergio's fur when her phone rang that night.

"This is too much," she said by way of greeting.

"I take it you got the book," his amused voice floated over the line.

"Hotch, this book could be very valuable," she began. She really wanted to keep it, not because it was a Vonnegut book, but that it had once been his, that she had some little peek into the boy who would become the man she was finding herself falling very quickly for in ways that terrified and thrilled her.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it-"

"That is worth more to me than any book, no matter its monetary value could ever be," his gentle voice assured her. "If it makes you happy, it makes me even happier. I'm glad you like it, Em."

"I don't like it, Hotch, I love it," she stressed. "So tell me, how old were you when you first read it?"

"I was fourteen. My grandfather actually gave me the book. It was originally his. It was the summer when I first read it. In my over-active hormonal fourteen year old state with that cover I thought it would be about something else."

Emily chuckled. "You must have been so disappointed when you realized the title referred to three statutes and the story revolves around a bunch of guys, a dog and robot."

"I was hoping for something a little more titillating," Hotch admitted ruefully.

"Most fourteen year old boys would have found that in a magazine, you go looking for it in a piece of literature," Emily laughed quietly. "You are one in a million, Aaron Hotchner."

"I'm just man, Emily, who as a kid didn't know better."

"Did you like the book?"

"Actually, I did. By the time I figured out I wasn't going to get any salacious details about the sirens, I was too invested in it." His voice became quiet as he reminisced. "I remember that summer. It wasn't a good one for my family. Those were…difficult times." The tone of his voice changed, a darker shade coloring it, alerting Emily to something wrong, something off. There had been hints that Hotch had had a difficult childhood. Emily knew that his father was not a model family man. Hotch had hinted at affairs and then a fight with cancer that his father eventually lost.

"The book became an escape of sorts for me," Hotch continued. "Almost a salvation. It got me through a rough time."

"Books do have that amazing ability, don't they," Emily said in her warm, soothing voice. "It's why I tend to shun the electronic versions of these things. A book makes it more intimate, more like a friend."

There was a long pause on Hotch's end. "I didn't have many friends when I was growing up," he said in a low tone. "Not really close friends. Lots of friends, or rather acquaintances. This book became a very good friend of mine that summer."

"Thank you. Not just for the book, but for sharing that part of you with me. I know it wasn't easy." Emily felt so privileged to have this bit of insight into Hotch. So few got to see it, and seeing a bit of that scared, confused fourteen year old boy, she wasn't sure if anyone outside of his family, maybe not even them, had seen him.

"Actually, it felt much easier than I thought," Hotch's voice sounded a little surprised. He chuckled self-consciously. "Boy, I really didn't want to make this call all about me and my adolescence."

"I enjoyed it. I rather like seeing a little of the boy that became the man I know."

"I haven't scared you off?" he teased.

"Quite the opposite, Agent Hotchner. Quite the opposite."

* * *

**A/N 2: Just a reminder that the nomination ballot is up for the 2012 Profilers' Choice awards. The link is: www. fanfiction topic / 74868/ 69379386/1/. Just take out all the spaces, but if that doesn't work for you, just go to the Criminal Minds Forums and go to "Chit Chat on Authors' Forum". There are a lot of talented authors out there with great stories so show your appreciation for these folks and nominate them! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: And here we go with more of the never-ending birthday story for Tigerlily. I think it should be done the next time she has a birthday. The wooing continues, but a little more emotional this time. Please let me know what you think! Thanks!**

* * *

By this point, she knew what to expect when she returned home after her errands. Unlike Doyle's ominous offerings, she found herself eagerly anticipating what Hotch would give her next. She suspected a certain tech analyst was helping him deliver the items, if not buy them on his instructions. How else could they be timed so perfectly to when she would not be at home?

She was loaded down with shopping bags from a run to the grocery store when she saw it leaning against the door, dressed up with a pretty red bow. Emily chuckled as she unlocked her door and took her groceries and the new gift into the apartment.

Later that night, she was waiting for his call.

"I take it from the noise you got my gift?" his amused voice asked after she had picked up and he could hear the tinkle of a bell.

Emily chuckled softly. "Yes, and Sergio is enjoying it immensely," she replied as she swished the slender pole that was leaning against her front door back and forth. This gift was a small fishing pole that had string attached at one end and from which a feathered cat toy dangled cheekily. A small bell was attached to the mass of feathers and with a simple flick of her wrist, Emily swished the object back and forth, sending Sergio into a leaping frenzy as he tried to capture the intriguing object.

"What made you think of this?"

"Well, I had to win over my main competition."

"Competition?"

"Yes, after all, Sergio is the perfect man. He doesn't hog the covers and he poops in a box."

Emily let out a loud laugh as she recalled that conversation they had months ago on the BAU jet. "I can't believe you remember that."

"I remember most things you say, Emily, but I also remember feeling envious that Sergio obviously had your affection," his voice dropped into a low, seductive rumble, "and he shared your bed."

She felt her heart pound and her cheeks burn. On the scale of dirty talk what Hotch said wouldn't even register, but for heaven's sakes! This was Hotch! She was still trying to reconcile her severe, humorless supervisor with this flirty, persistent suitor.

"You know you're throwing me here, Hotch," she murmured in a low tone.

"How?" He sounded amusedly puzzled.

"I just didn't think I would hear you say something like that, to me especially."

"Have I offended you?" There was genuine concern in his voice and fear that he had crossed some boundary.

"No, it's just that I have a hard time believing this is coming from the man who couldn't explain to me what some sexual instrument of torture was."

"What?"

"Remember that separatist that was kidnapping and killing those women in Montana? It was right around when Rossi first came back."

Of course he remembered that time. It was another case where the victims looked far too much like Emily Prentiss for his liking. He remembered that he made certain he was paired with her as often as possible and if he wasn't around, that she was either in the sheriff's station reviewing tapes, surrounded by dozens of officers, or she at least had Morgan by her side. She may have regarded all those times he kept her close as an indictment of her abilities and his need to make sure she was supervised. Maybe at first that was what he was doing, but he quickly learned Emily Prentiss was more than capable of running her own investigation. No, he kept her with him or with Morgan because he needed to know she would be as safe as possible. He didn't realize that was what he was doing until later and then he forced himself to mix things up more, though more often than not that only meant she was paired with Rossi. If she was with Reid or JJ, he made certain they were doing the least dangerous task possible, like interviewing harmless witnesses or that they were at least accompanied by local law enforcement.

But it wasn't embarrassment that caused him to go silent and stare at her when she held up that implement and asked what it was. It was fear and fury; fury that the victims had been subjected to such a thing and fear over how easily Emily could have been one of the victims. In that second when she asked her question, just having her near that thing had made Hotch lose all perspective, all sense of where he was and all he could think about was, "Get Emily away from this ugliness." He simply wanted to protect her, hide her away and make sure nothing this violent and horrible could touch her. Even then, when he didn't realize how much he cared for her, Hotch knew some part of him was already in love with Emily Prentiss.

"Hotch?"

"That wasn't why," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Wasn't why what?" she asked, frowning at the change in his tone. All levity was gone and replaced by something she couldn't pinpoint.

"I wasn't embarrassed that time when you asked me what it was. Back in Montana."

She could sense this was important to him and she encouraged him with a quiet, "Then what was it?"

"I knew what it did. What it had done to those women. I didn't want to see you holding it. Knowing what it could do and had done. I didn't want that ugliness _near_ you. I couldn't answer you at that time because…because…all I could think about was dragging you out of there, away from that horror chamber and keeping you safe." He was breathing raggedly now, almost as though he was back there in Montana, in that torture chamber where all those women who looked like Emily had suffered. "We saw what he did to those women. _Knew_ what he did. I didn't want to imagine that happening to you, but you looked so much like them, I couldn't…" His voice trailed off, not wanting to verbalize how he had seen her face on too many of the victims they had had to see over the years and how much agony he endured with those images in his mind.

Emily licked her lips and gripped the phone tighter, never realizing the depths of his feelings until now. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. He had told her, but a part of her had wondered if what was happening now between them was something that wasn't really very serious to Hotch. A flirtation now that she was no longer taboo because of their working relationship. However, his reaction, the intensity of his voice, she could feel the pain as he imagined her harmed.

"I didn't know," she murmured softly, soothingly. "I didn't know, Aaron."

She heard him suck in his breath and realized she had called him by his given name, the first time she had done so. It felt foreign to her tongue, yet it felt right.

"Aaron," she repeated in a softer tone, a comforting caress on the man's battered soul.

"Emily," he breathed out. "I like how my name sounds when you say it."

"I think, I think I like saying it."

"I'm glad."

"I'm sorry you had to feel such pain," she said regretfully.

"Don't be," Hotch told her in a firm tone. "If I had been smarter and really examined why I felt that way, I wouldn't have wasted so much time. I think I had fallen in love with you all those years ago, but I simply didn't recognize the signs. Didn't want to. I'm glad I have a second chance with you, Emily." She heard him swallow hard. "I almost didn't get that. Twice."

Emily winced guiltily, knowing the second time was her recent accident and not her fault, but the first was definitely on her. Doyle.

"Hotch, about Doyle-"

"It doesn't matter."

"But Hotch-"

"Emily, it doesn't matter."

"Why?" she asked. It had been bothering her since her return. "Everyone else wanted to know about my time in Interpol, about what I had to do with Doyle, about why I left the team and went after him. But you, you never asked, never questioned, not even when I returned, not even when you had to lie to everyone for me. You never demanded an explanation or asked any questions. Why?"

"Because I didn't need them," Hotch said simply. "Because you wouldn't do anything without a good, noble reason and you would only be focused on protecting the ones you love. I know you, Emily Prentiss, and that was all the answer I needed."

She felt tears prick in her eyes. Though JJ, Rossi and Garcia never questioned her, she could feel their eyes on her, looking inquiringly at her, wanting to know. Morgan and Reid made their feelings known, but Hotch, he had treated her the same, no, he had been protective of her. She knew he tried to take the burden of the rest of the team's anger on himself and kept the prying questions from the others as contained as possible. She had wondered why he hadn't demanded any explanation from her like he had early in their working relationship when she had to explain every connection, every decision. The Doyle incident was much bigger than any past skirmishes they had had, but he had simply flicked it off as nothing more than another case that was closed.

She hadn't any idea why he acted that way, but now she knew.

He trusted her. When Emily wasn't certain she could trust herself or that she had made the right decisions, Hotch was saying he had enough faith for the both of them.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, Aaron, for believing in me."

"I always have, Emily, and I always will."

Perhaps this was the best gift she had received from him yet.

* * *

**A/N 2: For those who are looking for the Profiler's Choice nominees and how to vote, you can find it at:**

**topic/ 74868/73609377/1/ 2012-Profiler-s-Choice-CM-Awards-FINAL-VOTING-BALLOT-HERE**

**Just remove the spaces. There are a lot of very good authors/stories nominated so show your support by voting**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Ah and we're getting close to an end for this never-ending birthday fic! I typically don't write such mushy romantic stuff, but this is for my fellow Tiger. Hope she and all of you enjoy this next part and remember to vote in the Annual Profiler's Choice Awards. There are a lot of great nominees and here's a good chance to maybe find a new story you haven't read before. To vote, go to:**

**topic/ 74868/73609377/1/ 2012-Profiler-s-Choice-CM-Awards-FINAL-VOTING-BALLOT-HERE**

**Just remove the spaces. **

* * *

Emily hadn't realized how much she had come to look forward to the daily gifts until there was none sitting on her doorstep when she got back home after her light workout at the gym. It was odd given that there was a present waiting for her the past three days, but though Hotch had been adamant on wooing her, it's not as if he promised her a gift a day. Still she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

She became worried though when there was no nightly call. As she absently flicked the cat fishing pole toy back and forth for Sergio's amusement, she waited for him to call, but no call came in that night nor was there any message. She had been tempted to call him, but knew that in the middle of a case there were times where they were so close to something that could break it wide open that any interruption would be looked upon with annoyance. So she had simply turned out her light and tried to sleep.

There was no call the next morning nor afternoon. Once again, there was no gift. By this point, her worry had become mixed with self-doubt. Perhaps he was regretting his actions and he wasn't as interested in her as she thought. But no, her logical side would argue, that simply wouldn't be Hotch, especially in light of all he had shared with each gift.

However, once she had convinced herself that this wasn't about Hotch backing away from her, the worry came back in full force and she began to imagine all sorts of horrible scenarios, many of which involved Hotch lying bloodied and broken. Anxiety clawed at her and unwittingly, she began to pick at her fingernails, a habit she had managed to control over the last few months.

What if he was hurt or worse, dead, and she never go to tell him-

Emily stopped herself and sat down abruptly. Tell him that she too had strong feelings for him, feelings that could be love? Is that what she felt? Hotch not calling could have meant that someone else on the team was hurt, but her concern was immediately for the team leader. She cared about every single person on that team, but it was Hotch her thoughts were immediately for, not anyone else.

"This is stupid," she murmured to herself and she picked up her cell phone and hit a familiar number. After a few rings she growled in frustration when she got his voicemail. "Hey Hotch, it's me. Emily. Just checking in to see if everything is okay and how the case is going. Haven't heard from you in a while. Just give me a call. Bye."

She could call one of the others but maybe they couldn't or wouldn't pick up either. She decided on someone who would know and would answer her phone call.

"Oracle of all Knowledge, how may I assist?"

"Garcia? It's Em."

"Peaches! How are you doing?" There was a certain sly smugness to her voice that Emily picked up on and she felt herself relax. If anyone on the team was in any trouble, Garcia wouldn't sound so relaxed. Additionally, Emily knew her guess that Garcia was behind delivering the gifts for Hotch was likely correct.

"I'm good. Was able to work out today so most of the injuries are just about healed."

"Ugh, you're feeling better and you decide you want to work out? Well, to each their own. Sooooo, anything interesting going on lately?"

"Oh come on, Garcia, I know you've been helping Hotch with the gift delivery."

"Gifts? Is bossman giving you gifts? I do not know anything about such gift giving."

"Although I'm surprised you'd get Sergio that fishing pole thing. You know he doesn't like to move about that much."

"That was the perfect gift for Sergio! I had something just like it when he lived with me and he loved it-" Too late she realized she had fallen easily into Emily's trap. "Oh crap."

Prentiss laughed. "You're right, he loves it and I love it and the rest of the things you delivered for Hotch."

"I was so surprised when Hotch asked me to do all that for him. I think I might have blurted out, 'Since when have you been after Prentiss?' Fortunately he didn't fire me for that."

"It's new to me too, Pen. I'm still trying to get used to all of this."

"But it makes you happy, doesn't it?" Garcia asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah, I think it does."

"I'm so happy for you. For both of you."

"But I'd be happier if I knew what was going on. Have you heard anything from anyone?"

"Last I heard they were very close. Well, you've been there. When you get this close to catching the dirt bag you kinda just focus on that."

"That's true. I was just getting worried when I hadn't heard anything."

"Well, I hadn't heard of anything bad, so I'm sure everyone is okay. If you want, I can call Morgan or JJ."

"No, I've already left a message for Hotch. I'm sure you're right and they're just close to wrapping up the case."

They talked for a few more minutes and Emily had to promise Garcia that they would go out with JJ for a girls' night so they could hear all the details about her new romance with Hotch before she was able to hang up.

The rest of the day dragged slowly. Several times she came very close to calling Hotch again, but stopped herself. If nothing was wrong she didn't want to appear to be some clingy woman. After all, she knew the demands on time and attention of the job and the last thing he needed was someone calling, needlessly asking for attention.

By ten o'clock that evening she had just decided to call JJ, still trying to look like a non-clingy woman, when she heard a knock at her door. Emily's heart began to pound hopefully as she hurried over. When she looked through her peephole, she let out a small sigh of relief and threw back the locks before flinging open her door.

"Aaron!" she said in a soft voice.

He smiled at her and was momentarily stunned when she threw her arms around his neck to embrace him. His shock lasted a split second before his own arms were wrapped around her, holding her tight against him. He deeply inhaled her sweet scent and murmured her name.

She pulled back to look into his face. He was smiling even more broadly now.

"Missed me?"

"I did," she murmured shyly.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you a gift last night and I haven't called, but we were so close to a solution my only thought was to wrap it up so I could get back to you as soon as I could."

She placed her fingertips against his lips to silence him.

"You here, is the best gift yet."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Next part of the never ending birthday present!**

* * *

Hotch woke up with an aching back, an arm that was numb and a weight pressing against his chest, but when he opened his eyes, he couldn't help the smile that curved around his mouth and though the minor physical discomforts a small price to pay for the great reward he had. Curled up next to him on the too small couch was Emily Prentiss, her head resting against his chest, her slight body crushing his arm. He would gladly go through life sleeping on an uncomfortable couch if it meant waking up with this woman in his arms.

When he had arrived on her doorstep late the night before, he had been greeted in the sweetest way imaginable, with a big hug and the absolutely certainty she was happy to see him. After he had entered the apartment, Emily had continued to fuss over him, asking him if he had eaten and making him rest on the couch while she quickly prepared something for him. It was adorable.

Hotch had pulled her back before she could slip away to the kitchen and assured her he wasn't hungry, that he had just missed her. It was too late to get Jack from Jessica's so he had come straight to her apartment hoping she might still be awake and he wasn't disturbing her.

"Of course you aren't," Emily chided him gently. "I was just getting a little concerned when I hadn't heard anything, but I checked in with Garcia and she assured me that all was well."

"I'm sorry if you were worried," he apologized. "We were just getting so close and-"

She hushed him again like she had earlier when he tried to apologize for not calling. "You forget I used to be where you were. I know what happens on a case. It's fine." She smiled at him and Hotch realized, that with this woman, it was fine. She wasn't Haley or Beth, women who never understood the demands of his job and were upset if he didn't call them immediately. Hell, Beth had a tendency to call him with the most mundane things during the most crucial or tense points in a case.

But Emily was different. She was always different and not for the first time, Hotch mentally kicked himself for taking so long to realize what a treasure he had before him.

"Yes, of course you do," he smiled as he drew her closer to his side and placed a small kiss in her hair.

Emily cuddled into his body and for a few moments they simply sat in silence, enjoying each other's company. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable and both of them realized how right and good it felt just to be with each other. They didn't need to fill the quiet with idle chatter nor did either feel inclined to move away.

However, as they grew more comfortable with each other and the silence stretched out, Hotch found himself drifting off into sleep. Emily, sensing this began to ease herself away from him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he mumbled sleepily, the arm around her tightening.

"You're tired," Emily said. "Why don't you get some rest?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry about this," Hotch yawned as he rubbed his face to wake himself up. "I don't want to fall asleep on you."

Emily smiled softly at him. "Hotch, its fine. I know how hard you work on cases and how little sleep you get." She stood up. "Come on, you can take my bed and I'll take the couch."

"No, I'm fine on the couch," Hotch insisted, refusing to budge. He saw Emily frown at him.

"It's not comfortable and it's way too small for you," she said. She grabbed his hand and tried futilely to tug him to his feet.

He refused and instead, stretched himself out on the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it wasn't bad. "See?" he said as he tucked a throw pillow under his head. "It's fine."

She continued to frown at him. "Hotch, your feet are hanging off the other end. It's too small."

"There's plenty of room," he insisted. "Here, I'll show you." Moving faster than a blink of an eye, Hotch suddenly sat up, wrapped his arms around Emily's waist and dragged her down onto the couch with him.

She squealed in indignant surprise and found herself sprawled on top of his body. "Hotch!"

He chuckled and hugged her gently to him. Emily huffed out one more indignant breath and then cuddled closer to him as he stroked her hair.

"See?" he said after a few moments. "Not so bad." In fact, it felt wonderful to him to have her in his arms like this.

"We're both going to feel lousy in the morning," she murmured sleepily as he began to lull her to sleep with his gentle caresses in her hair.

"We'll be fine," Hotch yawned as he felt himself drifting off.

They had fallen asleep together and though Emily's prediction of aches and pains proved to be more accurate, he still couldn't help but feel elation course through his body as he watched Emily sleep. With the opportunity to simply study her, he allowed his eyes to trace over every feature. She was always so very beautiful to him, but in this quiet moment, he took pleasure in appreciating each individual feature. From the long lashes that lay across the high curve of her cheek, to the pink lips that rested under her elegant nose, Hotch burned in his memory each line, each curve and knew he could never forget how she looked at this moment.

She murmured in her sleep and burrowed closer into him, causing him to smile and let out a soft chuckle. His laugh was enough to wake her and he saw one eyelid flutter before he could see a puzzled, perfect brown orb regard him. After a moment, it registered who she was with and where they were.

"Oh, good morning," Emily breathed out as she moved to prop herself up on her elbow. "I guess we fell asleep on the couch."

"Good morning," Hotch returned as he shifted slightly to allow Emily an opportunity to wiggle out a little from where his body had pinned her between himself and the back of the couch. He winced slightly. "You weren't joking about how uncomfortable this couch could be."

She smirked at him. "Now maybe you'll listen to me."

"I always do," he replied. He gave her a disappointed look as she moved to get off the couch. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the bathroom and then I'm going to make us some breakfast." She poked him lightly. "You need to go get Jack."

He hadn't forgotten about his son, but he had hoped to spend time with Emily as well. He had missed them both while away on this last case and didn't want to have to choose between them. "Spend the day with us," he blurted out.

Emily had gotten off the couch and was heading towards the bathroom when Hotch had asked his question. She turned to look at him with an inscrutable look on her face. He could feel anxiety gnawing at him. She had asked to go slow and here he was asking her to spend time with his son. But then again, she and Jack knew each other and Jack already loved his Aunt Emmy. He wasn't introducing a stranger to his son, but with his feelings made clear, this was a completely different situation than what her previous encounters with Jack had been. Would she refuse, saying it was too soon?

He needn't have worried as a smile curved around her lips. "I'd love to. How about we go to the park and have a picnic?"

A weight lifted off of Hotch's chest and he smiled broadly at her. "That sounds great. We can pick you up at 11?"

"Perfect. I'll pack a lunch." She held up her hand to forestall the argument Hotch was about to make. "I'm betting you have no food or very little at your place and I don't mind making lunch," she said. "I get to spend the day with my two favorite guys."

Delight danced in his eyes at her words. "Your two favorite guys, huh?" He was pleased by her words.

Emily nodded and smiled. "Yes. Jack and naturally we're bringing Sergio with us. He is after all the perfect boyfriend."

She wasn't fast enough as the throw pillow he launched at her hit her squarely on the rear as she tried to flee, laughing the entire time.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Arrrggghhhh! This story never ends?! Soon, I can see an ending soon, but it's like Hotch and Emily want to keep prolonging this! Arrrggghhhh! It'll be Tigerlily's ****next**** birthday before this is done!**

* * *

"Daddy, we have to stop," Jack ordered his fathered from his seat in the back.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Hotch asked as he glanced in the rearview mirror. "I thought you went to the bathroom before we left."

"I did," the boy replied patiently. "But we have to stop at the store."

"The store?" Hotch frowned. "Why do we have to stop at the store? I told you Emily said she was making our picnic lunch."

"Daddy," sighed Jack in as world weary of a voice a seven-year old could muster. "When you go and visit a girl, you _have_ to bring her flowers. You know that."

Hotch's lips twitched in amusement, but he actually thought it wouldn't be a bad idea. Plus Jack had that stubborn set to his jaw that told his father he would not be changing his mind any time soon.

"You're right, buddy. When you visit a girl, you should bring her flowers," Hotch replied solemnly as he switched on his blinker indicating a right turn. Flowers wouldn't hurt.

* * *

Emily was wiping her hands on a kitchen towel when she heard her doorbell ring. She hurried over to the door and after glancing out the peephole to make sure it was Hotch, she unlocked the door and opened it. The sight before her brought a wide grin to her face.

Both Hotchner boys were dressed in jeans with Jack in a gray sweatshirt and Hotch in a navy half-zip polo sweater. But what made her smile was the bouquet of garishly colored flowers Jack held in one little hand. He thrust the mixed bunch of tulips, lilies, daffodils and irises at Emily.

"Hi Emmy! These are for you because you're supposed to bring girl flowers," Jack declared in his sweet child's voice.

Emily bit her lip to keep from giggling but looked at Hotch with dancing eyes. "Oh? And is that something your father told you about? That you need to bring a girl flowers?"

Jack sighed a martyr's sigh, exhausted by the silliness of adults. "_Everyone_ knows that, Emmy."

"Yeah, Emmy," Hotch teased. "_Everyone_ knows you're supposed to bring a girl flowers."

"Well, this girl thanks you, Captain Jack," she replied in a solemn tone as she took the offered flowers from the boy. "These are so beautiful! Come on inside while I put them in some water."

They followed her into the apartment, letting the door shut after them. Sergio poked his head out from a room Emily used as her office and then immediately ducked back in, but not before Jack caught sight of him. "Emmy! Can I go say hi to Sergio?" the boy asked excitedly. Jack loved animals, but Hotch thought he was too young to have a pet.

Emily smiled and nodded. "I think he'd like it if you said hello to him," oblivious to what Sergio actually wanted. Jack scampered off to greet his pet proxy leaving the two adults alone.

"I think I have a blanket in the hall closet that we can use. Do you mind getting it? It's on the top shelf." Emily pointed towards the closet near the front door.

When Hotch came back with the blanket, Emily was just finishing packing the picnic basket. His eyebrows rose when he saw the size and contents of the carrier. "Are you expecting an army?" he asked, amusement in his voice.

"Just a growing boy," was Emily's wry reply. She glanced at the basket and uncertainty crossed her pretty face. "You really think it's too much food?"

He hated putting doubt of any kind in Emily's mind, even something as minor as the contents of a picnic basket. He reached over and covered her hand with his. "It's perfect," he said softly.

She smiled shyly at him. She turned over her hand until their palms were pressed against each other and she gently squeezed his larger one with her small hand.

Their quiet moment was interrupted by Jack coming into the kitchen carrying a limp and resigned Sergio who gave Emily a baleful look that said, "Look what you make me endure." However, the cat patiently submitted to the boy's clumsy handling.

"Can we take Sergio with us?" Jack asked.

"I'm sorry, Captain Jack, but if Sergio goes with us, I'll have to put him on a leash and he hates wearing the collar," Emily told him as she bent over to stroke the cat's head. Sergio gave her a sideways look of annoyance at the word "collar". "See, he doesn't even like the word."

"Oh," Jack twisted his head to look at the rebellious look on the cat's face. "Okay, I guess so." He gently set Sergio down who immediately scampered off.

"Don't worry, Jack," Emily said, "We'll have a lot of fun at the park and then you can come back here to play with Sergio."

"Really? Oh boy! I wish I had a cat." Jack gave his father a sideways look that was eerily similar to the one Sergio had given Emily moments before. "I think I'm big enough to have a cat or a dog."

"Jack," Hotch warned. "We've talked about this and you're not old enough to have a pet. Maybe next year."

Jack huffed out a puff of annoyed breath, sounding far too much like his father. The adults exchanged an amused look. Emily shook her head and latched the picnic basket as Hotch watched her. He hoped that by next year there would be no reason to buy Jack a pet because by that time both Emily and Sergio would be living with the Hotchners, not only sharing a home, but a last name as well.

* * *

It was a beautiful day for a picnic and while there were others about, the park wasn't too crowded. By chance, a few of Jack's playmates were also there. The little boy took off to play with his friends on the jungle gym, after a stern warning from Hotch to not leave the sandy play area.

"Oh Aaarroooonnnn!" a feminine voice sang out.

Hotch's back was towards the speaker, but Emily could see his grimace before he schooled his features into a pleasant expression. He turned around to greet the newcomer, a tall, blonde woman. She was lean and tanned, sculpted by daily pilates classes, organically grown food and dressed with clothes from boutiques or designer fashions from high end stores. She had the look of a woman who did little more than take her child to school and filled her days with shopping, the gym and lunch with other women like her before she picked her child up from school to take him or her to whatever extracurricular activity they had set up for the child.

"Mrs. Donaldson," Hotch said politely.

"Oh Aaron! It's so good to see you again! We've missed seeing you since soccer season ended," flirted the woman. "The games were such a joy with you coaching." She placed a hand on his arm and practically batted her eyelashes.

"Well, I had fun doing it," Hotch replied as he tried to shift himself away from her.

She wasn't giving up that easily as her hand followed him, still maintaining contact.

"Aaron, aren't you going to introduce us?" Emily asked as she stepped forward and looped her arm through Hotch's free one. She looked sharply at the other woman.

Mrs. Donaldson stiffened when she saw the pretty brunette. Her eyes narrowed when Hotch slipped his arm around the woman's waist and to draw her closer to him. She was so distracted by this, she didn't even notice Hotch had moved his arm away from her own grasp.

"Emily Prentiss, Betty Donaldson, Johnny Donaldson's mother."

"Oh yes, Johnny," Emily said in a pleasant tone. "The one wearing the blue cap, right?" She indicated with a small wave of her hand to a group of boys Jack was playing with.

Mrs. Donaldson grunted in assessment trying to estimate the amount of competition Emily presented. "Yes, that's him. And how do you know Aaron?"

"Emily used to work at the Bureau."

"Yes, Aaron and I worked very closely together," Emily said in a pleasant tone with a smile on her face.

The blonde's eyes narrowed. "Oh, how nice." She tried another tactic. "Aaron, have you heard from Beth?"

"She took that job in New York and from what I understand, she's doing very well. I believe she's seeing someone who works at the Guggenheim. I'm happy for her."

"Did you know Beth, Emma?"

"Emily. Yes. I've met her a few times," Emily replied.

"We all thought those two would get married," Betty Donaldson continued, attempting to create doubts between the couple. "Aaron was so gone over her, the whole PTA were wagering when they would walk down the aisle."

"Well, I guess the PTA didn't assess the situation quite right," Emily replied, her tone still pleasant. "Because Beth is no longer here. I do hope no one lost too much money." She smiled, though it was more like baring her teeth.

"Nothing we couldn't afford," snarled Betty. She took in Emily's outfit. While Prentiss was never a flashy dresser, she did wear high quality clothing that cost a good amount of money. Betty could see that. She wasn't going to get Emily on the 'I have more money and can afford nicer things than you' angle.

"You worked together?" Betty rallied, trying a different tactic. "Aren't there rules against dating a co-worker?"

"Which is why we waited until I left the Bureau," Emily continued, her tone slightly less pleasant and her eyes narrowed. The woman was definitely getting on her nerves. She smiled brilliantly at the pushy blonde. "But all those long hours we spent on cases, why, I think we know each other inside out, don't we, Aaron?" Emily put just enough innuendo in her voice on the phrase "inside out" that had Betty flushing angrily.

"I can honestly say, I doubt there's anyone who knows me better than Emily," Hotch said in a solemn voice. "How's Frank doing, Betty? His knee still bothering him? Frank is Betty's husband and he hurt his knee in a skiing accident last year," he explained for Emily's benefit.

"Only when it rains," the blonde said through gritted teeth as Emily snuggled in closer to Hotch who began to grin a bit idiotically. "Well, I hope you two enjoy your afternoon." She turned on her heel and flounced off.

"Oy," Emily breathed out. "Do you have all the desperate housewives in the PTA after you?"

"Any single man and some not so single, are fair game with some women," Hotch said dryly as he steered Emily over to a pretty spot that had a clear view of the area Jack was playing in. "If I had known you could discourage Betty Donaldson's attention so quickly, I would have asked you out a long time ago."

"Oh, thanks, you only want me around to be a repellant," Emily huffed out in amusement.

"If you think the women are bad, the men are worse. As soon as some of the fathers see you, I'm going to have to beat them back with a stick," Hotch informed her as he spread out the blanket and they settled down.

"That, I would like to see," Emily laughed.

"Really?" Hotch asked as he leaned in towards her to say softly into her ear. "Know this fair maiden, I'd fight any dragon for you."

As corny as it was, it still had Emily catching her breath. Or maybe it was feeling the warm caress of his words against her cheek and tickling her ear. She turned her head and realized Hotch had not moved and their faces were a few scant inches from each other.

Slowly, they moved towards each other, drawn by some invisible force that they couldn't see, but that had always there between them. They were just about to kiss when there was a sudden cry of,

"DADDY! EMMY! I'm hungry!"

Emily pulled back abruptly, her cheeks burning as she turned to look at Jack running towards them, declaring his hunger all the way. She jumped to her feet and met Jack partway. She scooped the little boy up in her arms and said, "Well, we can't have a hungry Captain Jack, now can we?" She made her way slowly back to where Hotch was seated by the picnic basket.

Hotch smothered a sigh, but offered them both a smile. He had wanted to kiss her, badly. But Aaron Hotchner was nothing if not patient, and when the moment was right, he would kiss her and perhaps do much more.

The picnic lunch was delicious. Hotch looked at Emily in surprise as he bit into a chicken salad sandwich that had an Indian twist, flavored by curry and other spices.

"I can cook," she huffed out in annoyance. "I don't know why everyone thinks I can't."

"Maybe because you order take out so often."

"That's for convenience. I'm too tired to cook from scratch so I order take out or pop in a frozen dinner. But when I have time, I do like to cook. It relaxes me making something from scratch."

"Well, I am honored you're sharing your culinary talents with us. This is wonderful," Hotch complimented her as he finished off one sandwich and picked up another. "Right Jack?"

"Mmmmhhhhmmm," the little boy nodded his head as he finished off his own sandwich.

Both Hotchner men were too full after lunch to do much more than lie about on the blanket. Jack's head was resting on Emily's lap while she leaned against Hotch's solid chest. The sun was higher now and the cool day turned pleasantly warm. With full bellies and warmed by the sun, a sense of comfort and security settled around and they thought life could not be any better.

"This doesn't qualify as our first date, does it?" Hotch murmured in Emily's hair.

"I think our first date was when we had coffee and I told you I was leaving," she replied.

"Oh no, _that_ definitely doesn't count," Hotch grumbled. "Our first official date cannot involve my seven year old son. Tell you what, tomorrow Jack has a sleep over/birthday party to attend. I'm still on stand down so why don't I take you to dinner?"

"Hotch, you don't have to. I had a good time today." She actually did. She loved spending time with just Hotch and Jack in the park, with no cares or worries. "So what if this was a bit unconventional for a first date." She tilted her head upwards to look at him. "There's been nothing conventional about us and how we've gotten to this point."

Hotch let out a short laugh and his arms tightened around her. "You're right about that. But I'd still like to take you out for a nice dinner. Something a little more 'conventional'."

"You're going to make me dress up for a fancy, expensive restaurant, aren't you?" Emily grumbled.

"Would that be so bad?"

"No, I like dressing up now and then. Just that you don't have to do that for me. I also don't like how pretentious some of those fancy, expensive restaurants have gotten."

"Well, don't worry," Hotch replied, the wheels turning in his head. "You just worry about what you want to wear for tomorrow night and leave everything to me."

He was going to make sure it was a night Emily would never forget.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Another part. Not quite at the dinner yet, but I think a fun part.**

* * *

Emily was surprised it took this long for the call to come. After the picnic Hotch and Jack had taken Emily home and the little boy got his promised time with Sergio who came out of hiding when he saw the boy was holding his favorite new toy that Hotch had gotten, the feathered thing at the end of a fishing pole. As Jack played with Sergio, Emily tried to get more details out of Hotch about the following night.

"How do I know what to wear if you won't tell me?" she asked in exasperation. "Should I dress warmly? Wear heels? What?"

"Think fancy restaurant," Hotch replied with a mysterious smile.

She looked at him suspiciously. They had just had a conversation about her preference for something other than an expensive restaurant, so that meant he was planning on taking her somewhere else. But where, she did not know.

_Which still doesn't solve my clothing dilemma_, she thought in exasperation the next morning. She was standing in her giant closet looking at her cocktail dresses when the dreaded, though expected, call came in.

"Love You Latte, one hour." The caller hung up not even waiting for Emily's answer, fully knowing the woman wouldn't refuse. The brunette sighed and prepared herself for the unpleasant task.

An hour later, she was walking into Love You Latte, an independent little coffee house located near her home in Dupont Circle. She spotted them immediately, the two blonde heads with eyes fixated on the door. When they saw her, Garcia began to wave wildly, making sure Emily saw them.

Prentiss smothered a sigh. Since Garcia helped Hotch out with his wooing efforts, she knew his pursuit of her would be common knowledge among the team. It was only a matter of time before JJ would call and demand the whole story and of course Garcia would want to be a part of that.

"We got you your usual," JJ said as she handed Emily a steaming cup of hot tea made from a special blend available only at Love You Latte. "We didn't want to waste any time. Now spill. What's going on between you and Hotch?"

"Did Hotch want you talking about this?" Emily sent Garcia a sharp look.

"He only said don't tell anyone about it," Garcia replied.

"If he said that how did JJ find out?" Emily asked in bewilderment.

"She guessed."

"How, did she guess?" Emily sat back in her chair, her arms folded over her chest.

"I may have said something like guess what suited supervisor has been pursuing a raven haired beauty who recently left the Bureau," Garcia replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Gee, amazing JJ was able to make a guess from that," was Emily's sarcastic reply.

"It's rather vain of you thinking of yourself as a beauty," was Garcia's prim retort.

"Can we get back to what's important?" JJ interrupted. "Like how this came about and what's happened since?"

Emily sighed, took a sip of her tea and began to tell them everything from Hotch's hospital visit to his intention of wooing her until she was in love with him. She explained about the gifts, some of this JJ already had knowledge of per Garcia, but not the story behind each item or the late night calls. She told them about the picnic in the park and the meeting with Betty Donaldson.

"What's with the Boss Man and hussies in the park?" Garcia asked.

"He spends too much time in them and that's where the desperate ones go trolling. Finish your story," JJ said impatiently.

Emily smothered a smile and told them about her dinner date that evening. When she was finished, the two blondes leaned back in their chairs and sighed simultaneously.

"I would never have thought Hotch could be so romantic," JJ said.

"I know, he's so stiff and professional all the time," Garcia replied. Her eyes took on an evil glint. "Except when he's around Gumdrop or talking about her. Really Em, you should see the way his eyes light up whenever he talks about you."

Emily could feel her cheeks heat up and she looked down into her mug. JJ and Garcia exchanged smiles, happy for their friends.

"So what are you wearing tonight?" Garcia asked, getting to more important matters.

Emily sighed again. "That's the annoying part." She explained Hotch's secretiveness about where they were having dinner. "He only said dress as though I was going to an expensive restaurant, but I know it can't be that because I told him I didn't really care for those places."

"But it means a nice dress and heels," JJ said sensibly. "Nothing looking good in your closet?"

"Sure, lots of things but nothing…" Emily fumbled for the words.

"That feels right?" JJ supplied in a kind voice.

"You know what that means," Garcia said as she picked up her purse and thumped the heavy bag down on the table. "Shopping trip."

"Oh no," Emily groaned. She didn't mind shopping. She enjoyed it. But shopping with Garcia required a nap before and after to make sure she had enough energy and then to replenish her energy.

"Come on, Em," JJ said with an amused smile. "We'll find the right outfit."

"Yep, leave it to us, we'll hunt down a dress that'll make Hotch want to tear it off of you immediately!"

"Garcia!" Emily sputtered as JJ grimaced.

"Seriously Pen, I don't need the image of Hotch having sex in my head," JJ replied.

"Aren't you curious though?" Garcia asked with a glint in her eye. "He as such big hands. And that's when being stiff is a good thing."

"Ewwwyyyhhhh! Stop!" JJ protested. "Don't want that imagery!"

"I am so not having this discussion," Prentiss mumbled as she led the way out of the coffee shop.

"Too bad! You're spending the afternoon with us!" Garcia called out evilly.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: My apologies for the lack of updates to any of my stories. To say work has been crazy is an understatement. Crazy I can handle and still have free time to do other things. Insane crazy is another level. However, things have eased up a bit and I did manage to get some writing in this weekend. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

They had been to four different shops and they still hadn't found the right dress. With her feet hurting, Emily was ready to give up.

"I'll just wear one of my black dresses," Emily said as she trailed two steps behind an undeterred Garcia.

"One more shop," Garcia promised as she spoke over her shoulder. "It's brand new. I'm sure they'll have something."

"Just one more, Em," JJ added in a placating tone. "If you don't find something in the next fifteen minutes, we'll give up."

"Fine, since we're here anyway," Emily sighed as she opened the door of the brand new boutique.

They were met by the delicate smell of lilies and the sounds of a piano concerto being played over the sound system. A few customers milled about, flipping through the neatly arranged racks of designer clothing. The store was decorated in pinks, gold, ivory and champagne with vintage furniture that looked like it came out of a Paris apartment circa 1910.

"Pretty," Garcia said as she looked up at the crystal chandeliers.

"Pretty expensive," JJ retorted as she moved towards a rack. However, after two minutes she and Garcia were enthusiastically flipping through the racks shopping for themselves, Emily's quest for a dress forgotten as they became lost in the lovely clothing.

Emily grinned and shook her head. That was how most of the afternoon went. While she had yet to buy anything, her two friends had made several purchases and were fairly loaded down with shopping bags. She went over to one rack filled with little black dresses and began to idly look at them.

"May I help you?" A tall, willowy, elegant looking woman in her 50s approached Emily. Her elegant gray hair was pulled back into a simple French twist. She would have looked intimidating were it not for her warm smile and eyes. "I'm Charlotte Appleby, the owner. Is there something specific you're looking for?"

"A dress," Emily replied, immediately feeling at ease with the older woman. "A cocktail dress."

"For a specific occasion?"

Emily hesitated. It was a date. A first date. She'd never bought a new dress for a first date. That would put too much importance on it and first dates weren't supposed to be important, at least that was how Emily treated them. They were exploratory events. Maybe something good would come out of them; maybe the entire experience would be horrible. The vast majority of Emily's experiences had been the latter. They didn't warrant the expensive investment of a new dress.

Yet, here she was, doing the opposite of what she normally did. She snorted to herself, and why not? It's not like her old ways have done her much good. Besides, this was to be no ordinary first date. It was her first date with Hotch. This was something special, this was something momentous for both of them.

"A date," Emily replied slowly, her face softening. "A first date."

"Ah," Charlotte said, understanding lighting up her face as she watched the subtle play of expressions on her pretty customer's face. "And it's with a very special person?"

"Yes, yes, he is." Emily laughed a little, an unfamiliar sense of shyness filling her. "Strange, but I've known him for years. Even had dinner alone with him before. But this...this date, I'm nervous. I shouldn't be. I mean, it's Hotch, or rather Aaron. We know each other so well."

"But things are different now," Charlotte said with a gentle smile. "And that's a good thing?"

"Yeah," Emily replied. "It's a good thing. A wonderful thing."

Charlotte's watched with growing interest as a happy smile appeared on Emily's face. When Charlotte first saw Emily, she took in the tall, willowy, but curvy figure, the simple, tailored, but expensive clothing and the elegant, patrician lines of her beautiful face and the shop owner had her pegged as someone from one of those rich, old families based on the East Coast, but one who was more than a society maven. The woman's friends indicated there was a uniqueness about her. In no way, shape or form would the two women this dark beauty came in with would have fit into the blue blood society Charlotte guessed her customer sprang from. It was the contradiction of these elements that made Charlotte decide to wait on the woman herself rather than allow one of her very capable saleswomen to do it.

But when this woman began to speak of this date she was to go on, a transformation seemed to take place before Charlotte. This woman was beautiful, she was elegant and she was undoubtedly sexy, how could she not be with that body? But this softness as she thought about this man she was to have dinner with completely transformed the woman. Her beauty became an almost angelic radiance. She was truly stunning. Charlotte didn't know the pretty brunette looking for a dress, but after thirty years in the trade, she knew a special story was about to start for this woman and it would be a wonderful, beautiful time.

And for that, she needed the perfect dress.

Charlotte Appleby's special talent was matching each woman to her perfect dress for the occasion. She simply needed to know where the woman was going, what was the occasion was and she would find her the right outfit. She took a step back and examined Emily's figure and her coloring. She thought a moment, as Emily continued to flip through the black dresses.

"None of those would do," Charlotte told her, with a dismissive wave of her hand. Charlotte suspected Emily had a closet full of gorgeous black dresses. It was time to push the woman out of her comfort zone. "LBD's are fine for cocktail parties and work related events, but for a special date, you need something a little different. A little unexpected. Come with me." She motioned for Emily to follow her to a back area in the shop.

Emily followed her to a small section in a corner of the shop. Charlotte was rooting through a rack filled with spring colored dresses in a range of soft colors that uncomfortably reminded Emily of Easter. That was not the color palette Emily had in mind, nor something she would typically wear. "Ah, here it is!" She pulled out a rose colored dress with a square neckline and elbow-length sleeves. A light overlay of embroidery covered the dress which was made of thin, airy silk. The skirt flared out slightly, meant to swirly gently around the legs. The entire dress had an appearance of airiness and fragility. It looked so delicate that Emily was almost afraid of touching it.

"For me?" Emily said in a doubtful voice. She tended towards simpler, classically tailored lines. This dress looked so feminine and fragile, she couldn't imagine wearing it.

"It's perfect for you," Charlotte assured her. "Trust me on this."

"It's not exactly my color or style," Emily said in a doubtful voice. "I'm usually a bit more structured. Tailored."

"Ah, but this date is supposed to be special, so why not go for something unexpected? I trust this man has never seen you in something like this?"

"Well, no," Emily replied. Usually Hotch sees her in suits or jeans. She could probably count on one hand how many times he had seen her in a dress. She shrugged. Why not try it on? "Okay, I'll give it a shot." Her voice clearly said she didn't think it would work out.

Charlotte quickly led Emily back to the dressing rooms, holding up the heavy brocade curtain that served as doors for the individual dressing rooms. "I'm going to grab a few things that I think will look well with the dress. I want you to try those on as well to get the full effect of the dress.

Left alone, Emily sighed, the day's outing catching up with her and she sat down on the padded bench inside the dressing room. She looked at the dress hanging on a hook before her. The dress wasn't her but she could see it as something a woman Aaron Hotchner dated would wear. But was it her? No, she didn't think so. The dress was too fine and soft and she wasn't. Emily was worn, hard, and far too cynical for the optimistic, pretty pink dress.

It wasn't about the dress. It was about her own doubts over why Hotch would even be interested in her. A lifetime of disappointment and pain filled her and made her question what she was doing. Because she wanted this so much, because she knew she had such strong feelings for Aaron Hotchner, Emily was simply terrified about starting something. If she never did, it could always remain a nice dream, a fantasy. But if they did embark on a relationship, if they did try and Hotch realized she wasn't worth it, she wasn't what he thought she was, Emily wasn't certain how she could survive it.

No, it was best not even to try. Not even to go on the date. Abruptly, she stood up, grabbing her purse and ready to bolt out of the store, with or without JJ and Garcia. She lifted up the curtain that served as the door for the dressing room and found herself face-to-face with Charlotte.

"I have some shoes and accessories I think you should try, dear," Charlotte began. Her voice trailed off when she saw Emily was still fully dressed in her own clothes and more troubling, clutching her purse to her chest in a tight, anxious grip. "Why, what's wrong?"

Emily swallowed hard and forced a cool, aloof expression onto her face. Charlotte became even more fascinated by her customer as she saw this other facet of the dark-haired beauty.

"I've changed my mind and decided I didn't need a new dress," Emily replied in a level voice. She shrugged dismissively. "It's just a first date."

Jitters, Charlotte diagnosed accurately. Charlotte Appleby was a remarkably perceptive individual and would have made an incredibly talented profiler, or con artist. However, she chose to sell lovely clothing to women. Sometimes, those same women came with a certain amount of self-doubt.

"Oh, I see," Charlotte replied calmly as she set the items she was holding down on the padded bench. "Well, even if you don't want to wear the dress tonight, I still think you should try it on. I think it will be perfect for you."

"And it would mean you didn't lose a sale," Emily replied in a wry, but not a sarcastic voice. She sighed and shook her head. "The dress isn't me."

"Why do you say that?" Charlotte asked with a small tilt of her head.

"It's too…pretty and dainty for me. Too-, too…feminine." Tall, skinny women who shot and tackled sick bastards for a living didn't wear pretty, soft dresses. Women who lied to her friends, who went undercover to seduce a terrorist didn't wear pretty pink dresses. "I'm not like that. It's too pretty for me."

"Says who?" Charlotte challenged. "You're a lovely woman and the dress would look wonderful on you."

"It's made for women who bake cookies and can sew costumes for her kids. Women who don't have…scars," Emily replied, a sad look on her face. Not realizing she was saying the last part aloud, she sighed out, "Why would he want someone so scarred?"

Charlotte felt her heart go out to this pretty woman who appeared to have had much tragedy in her life and experienced something or somethings that had totally shaken her sense of confidence and worth. She may appear put together on the surface, but Charlotte could see the sensitive and fragile woman underneath.

"Well, this man must not be that great of a catch," Charlotte said crisply.

"What?" Emily replied, her head snapping up to look at the older woman.

"I mean, if you think he'll be turned off by a few scars then that tells me he's a rather shallow individual."

"He is not! He's a terrific guy!" Emily sputtered. "The problem is with me."

"Well, you said he knows you, so surely he knows about all your flaws by now," Charlotte replied reasonably. "But he still asked you out. That says it doesn't matter to him."

Emily closed her mouth at the reasonable logic in Charlotte's words. But she wasn't ready to let it go just yet. Years of self-doubt were too ingrained in her to just simply let it go at this point.

"He deserves a woman who belongs to this dress. A kind, untouched, woman." Emily turned to look at the pink confection of silk. Another sad look came over her face. "That's not me."

"So you think you're the vampy bad girl, dressed all in black," Charlotte snorted. "Listen to me, I don't know what you do for a living, but clothes are my living and my specialty is match-making, if you will, people and clothes. The woman who wears this dress isn't a cookie baking, Stepford wife." Charlotte sniffed disdainfully. "That's not my customer base. The woman who wears this dress is not a woman without her trials and tribulations. The woman who wears this dress is a woman who is worth loving and is loved. Honey, we all have our scars, some more visible than others. I'm betting this man has his own too."

Unbeknownst to Charlotte, she was extremely accurate in her assessment of Hotch. The momentary surprised look on Emily's face was all the answer she needed and the older woman pressed forward. "Don't you think he's probably worried about the same thing you are? What about his scars? Is he worthy of you?" She carefully took the dress off the hook and thrust it towards Emily. "Don't think you're the only ones with doubts, sweetie."

Emily bit her lip. She knew Hotch had his own scars. Hell, she had been by his bedside as he recovered from the injuries Foyet inflicted. For a while there, he was lost in a dark place and they had all wondered if he would ever find his way out of it. Then there was Haley's death that he wrongly blamed himself for, his own demons that he fought against alone. No, Hotch was not without his scars either.

"Try on the dress," Charlotte wheedled. "See where it takes you." When Emily took the dress from her hands, the shop owner spun around and left the dressing room, letting the curtained door fall silently behind her.

For a full moment, Emily looked at the dress in her hands. Doubt still filled her but then she heard Hotch's voice in her head from the night he had the violets delivered to her.

"_You're my wonderful and beautiful despite all the ugly I see."_

She ran a finger over the silky embroidery on one sleeve. That was how Hotch saw her, his "wonderful and beautiful". She may not have believed it of herself, but in his eyes that was what she was. A small smile curved around her mouth and she began to change her clothes.

* * *

"Do you think she's in the dressing rooms?" Garcia asked JJ as they scanned the shop.

"Maybe she left," JJ said wryly. "We've dragged her all over town today and she was looking pretty tired."

"Em wouldn't just leave us without saying something first," Garcia replied. "Let's check the dressing room."

"Are you looking for your friend?"

The two blondes turned to look at the tall, fifty-something year old woman standing behind them. "Pretty brunette? About yeah tall?"

"That's her," Garcia replied cheerfully. "Is she in the dressing rooms?"

Charlotte nodded and smiled. "Yes, I was waiting on her and she's trying on a dress right now. Please, follow me." She led the way towards the dressing room and stopped before one curtain. "Dear? I've brought your friends."

"Em?" JJ called out. "Can we come in? Are you decent?"

"There's probably some debate about that, but yes, you can come in."

Charlotte lifted up the curtain for JJ and Garcia to step through. They walked into the dressing room and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Emily.

Most dressing rooms, and this one was no different, put in flattering lighting in order to let the customer see their potential purchases in the best possible light. However, it wasn't merely lighting that caused JJ and Garcia to stop and stare at their friend.

Emily was beautiful.

They both knew and acknowledged that the brunette was a very beautiful woman, how could anyone not see it? But in that lovely rose colored dress that set off her milky white skin and delicate, dark features, she looked angelic.

Her friends' continued silence began to make Emily uneasy. She shifted on her feet, wobbling just slightly on the high heeled sandals that Charlotte had brought in to go with the dress.

"That bad?" Emily asked. She sighed. "I knew this dress wasn't me-"

"Oh no, that's not it!" Garcia burst out. "Oh Em, you just look-. You're so-. I don't know how to say-"

"You're beautiful," JJ in a quiet voice. She slowly smiled at her friend. "You look beautiful, Emily. The dress is perfect for you. Hotch will be rendered speechless, just like us."

"It is pretty," Emily said slowly as she turned to look in the mirror. In the reflection she could see her two friends walk up to her. Garcia put a hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"It's not the dress," the bespectacled woman replied. "It's you. The dress only brought out what is already there."

Emily smiled at her friends in the mirror and then turned around to see Charlotte watching them from the doorway of the dressing room.

"I think I'll take it," Emily said to the shop owner.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I think it's time for Tigerlily's birthday again and I'm still writing this story for her LAST birthday. It's the gift that keeps on giving! Apologies for the slowness, but I hope folks enjoy.**

* * *

Hotch knew this date was a mistake as he drove to Emily's.

Oh, not the date itself, but what he had planned for it. Or rather what others had managed to talk him into doing for it.

Hotch had made the mistake of listening to Rossi and Morgan.

Just as Emily was being grilled by her female teammates, Hotch found himself also dragged out for morning coffee with Rossi, Morgan and a very uncomfortable Reid. From the smirks on the first two men's faces, Hotch knew they had learned about his date with Emily. He sighed as he sat down.

"Well?" Aaron asked in a grumpy tone.

"I had to find out from Garcia you finally got up the courage to ask Emily out on a date," Rossi groused. "Aaron, I'm hurt." His tone was aggrieved, but his eyes twinkled wickedly.

"I would only feel bad about hurting your feelings if any of this was your business," Hotch replied, though not without a small grin.

"You know, I knew we weren't the only ones checking out Prentiss all this time," Morgan said in a sly tone that made Rossi chuckle and Reid blush. Hotch sent his subordinate a glare. Morgan held his hands up. "Take it easy man! You've picked a gorgeous woman. You've got to expect men to look."

Hotch grunted, knowing Morgan was right, but not liking it one bit. In his mind and heart, Emily was completely his. Any hint of any man showing the tiniest bit of interest in her in any way fueled his possessiveness.

"Whoa, Aaron," Rossi said in a laughing tone. "Easy there, tiger. No need to go caveman here."

"Where are you taking her tonight?" Reid finally spoke, trying to change the subject as Hotch continued to glare at the other two men.

"Home cooked meal," Hotch said in a clipped tone, still shooting daggers at Rossi and Morgan who grinned evilly back at him.

"Oh no," Rossi sighed. "Not for the first date." Morgan shook his head and even Reid looked doubtful.

"What's wrong with a home cooked meal?" Hotch sputtered.

"Hotch, you're cooking isn't exactly gourmet," Rossi replied. "It's not bad, but for that first date, you want a 'wow'. Glamour, sophistication, elegance. You want to knock Emily's panties off."

Hotch hoped never to hear the phrase "Emily's panties" ever come out of Rossi's mouth again.

"Literally," Morgan added with a grin.

After shooting the dark man a glare, Hotch looked back at Rossi. "I don't think Emily wants all of that."

"All women want that," Rossi replied with a wave of his hand. "Trust me."

"This coming from a man married and divorced three times," Hotch muttered.

"Look, how long has it been since you've wooed a woman, Aaron?" Rossi asked in a reasonable tone. "Remember, when you dated Beth, she made all the moves, all the decisions. You barely did anything."

Hotch's mouth had been opened to retort, but he slowly closed it as Rossi's words sank in. Beth had done most of the heavy lifting in their relationship, which was part of the problem; it showed how little had had been truly invested in it. It had been quite a while since he had truly pursued a woman. Perhaps he was a little rusty.

"Look," Rossi continued in a kindly tone. "I can get a reservation for you tonight at that new French restaurant, _Mange_, I know the owner. They have fabulous food and service. It's elegant, but not too chi-chi or snooty."

Hotch hesitated. It sounded exactly what Emily said she didn't want when going out, but even Hotch had heard of the restaurant. It was the new hot place that had very good reviews. It would be something to have dinner there.

"Okay," Hotch said slowly. He offered Dave a small smile. "Thanks."

"Next, flowers," Morgan interjected. "What are you bringing her?"

A small, reminiscing grin appeared on Hotch's lips, just barely lifting the corners of his mouth. "Violets."

Morgan wrinkled up his nose and made a small sound. "Violets? Man, she's not your grandma. You have to bring something to the honeys that says, 'I really thought about this and tried.'"

"Morgan, Emily is not a 'honey'," Hotch growled.

Derek waved his hand. "You know I don't mean anything disrespectful, but come on, Hotch, you need to do something as special Emily is."

Hotch couldn't argue with Morgan's logic. Emily was special and she deserved to be shown how very precious she was to him. "What do you have in mind?"

Derek gave him a blinding smile. "My florist is incredible. She will put together the perfect bouquet for you. Leave it to me."

Hotch nodded. "Okay, but nothing too big and extravagant. You know she's not flashy."

"Hey man, Dolores is nothing but tasteful. Leave it to me. All you have to do is pick it up."

"Is it just dinner or are you planning something else?" Rossi asked.

Hotch blinked. He really hadn't thought beyond dinner. His original plan was to cook her dinner at his place. He had hoped they might have an after dinner coffee or drink and just talk. He liked talking to Emily but that did seem a bit ordinary.

"Oh! There's a great Russian film festival going on in Georgetown!" Reid broke in excitedly. "Tonight they're playing _Solaris_! Emily loves that film!"

"Isn't that that science fiction movie that runs six hours?" Rossi asked doubtfully.

"It's only about two and half hours and Emily likes science fiction," Reid replied, a bit defensively. "She loves this movie. Do any of you know movies Emily likes?"

That shut up the other men simply because they didn't know what movies their brunette colleague liked to watch. Aaron had his doubts, but a movie may not be a bad idea. He could simply offer it to her as an option, an alternative to coffee and talk.

"I can get you tickets," Reid continued.

Hotch smiled slightly at the young man and nodded. "Thanks, Reid. That's very thoughtful of you."

"So it's settled," Rossi replied clapping his hands together and rubbing them. "Let us get everything arranged while you go and get ready. At least we know we don't have to worry about how you'll dress for this date. You're one guy we don't have to tell to wear a suit and tie."

As the other men chuckled, Hotch glared at him. He left his friends with a niggling doubt that this course of action was inappropriate for his date with Emily, but they had convinced him enough to question his own ideas. As the day wore on and as the others called with instructions, reservations were for 6 pm, the movie started at 9 pm, the address of the florist, that niggling doubt grew and as he was driving to Emily's apartment and they had fully blossomed.

The doubts only increased with each step he took to Emily's apartment. They were almost to a fevered pitch after he rang the doorbell and waited for her. When the door opened, he forgot about his concerns and pretty much everything, including how to breathe.

Emily stood in the doorway, bathed in a soft, golden glow as the sun that was just beginning its descent for the night shone through the windows of her apartment. The pink color of her dress, he had never seen her in that shade before, turned her skin into the milkiest of white with a touch of rosiness to her cheeks. Her dark, silky hair was pulled back from her face and fell gently down her back in its natural waves. Her make-up was minimal, only enhancing her luminous eyes with those impossibly long lashes and pink lips just a few shades darker than her dress that looks so ripe and perfect for kissing. There was only one word he could think of when he looked at her.

"Perfect," Hotch breathed out in a reverent tone.

Emily blushed, embarrassed by the blatant adoration etched on his face and by what he had just said. Her reservations about the dress were erased the longer Hotch stared at her.

"Thank you," she murmured. Her eyes fell on the bouquet in Hotch's hands and her eyes narrowed slightly. "Is that for me?" There was a slight tone of apprehension in her voice.

He had forgotten about the bouquet in his hands, but her question pulled his worshipful eyes away from the lovely vision to the flowers in his hand. He blinked as he focused on the tasteful, if slightly big bouquet.

"Well, yes," Hotch replied as he extended them towards her. He frowned when Emily took a few steps backwards. "Emily?"

"Take them away," she asked him urgently, holding her hand over her nose and mouth. "I'm allergic to lilies!"

Hotch blinked again. The bouquet was a mix of pale pink roses and white lilies that gave of a strong, heady scent. Her words penetrated his brain, still fogged by how lovely she looked. Crap! "You're allergic to lilies?"

"Yes!" She was backing further into the apartment. "Please, Hotch! Just get rid of them or-, Achoo!" she sneezed and he could see her eyes were beginning to water. "Oh no. Just get rid of them!" She turned and fled towards her bathroom, leaving Hotch standing in her doorway. He heard her slam the door behind her.

Oh, this date was starting out great.


End file.
